[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 124 (Wednesday, June 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37391-37392]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12917]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-2005-0168; FRL-7722-8]


Soil Fumigant Assessments; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA will hold a public meeting to present to interested 
stakeholders the Agency's risk assessments for four soil fumigant 
pesticides: dazomet, metam sodium, methyl bromide, and 1,3-D or Telone. 
This public meeting, known as a ``Technical Briefing,'' will provide an 
opportunity for stakeholders to learn more about the data, information, 
and methodologies that the Agency used in developing its risk 
assessments for these pesticides. EPA is concurrently assessing six 
soil fumigants, including these four pesticides, to ensure that its 
risk assessment approaches are consistent, and to ensure that risk 
tradeoffs and economic outcomes can be adequately predicted in reaching 
risk management decisions. Risk assessments for two other soil 
fumigants, chloropicrin and a new active ingredient, iodomethane, will 
follow about a month later due to recently submitted data which are 
currently under review.

DATES: The meeting will be held on July 13, 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 
p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at Sheraton Suites Alexandria, 801 
North Saint Asaph St., Alexandria, VA 22314; telephone number: (703) 
836-4700.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Leahy, Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 305-6703; fax 
number: (703) 308-8005; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of 
interest to a wide range of stakeholders including environmental, human 
health, and agricultural advocates; the chemical industry; pesticide 
users; and members of the public interested in the sale, distribution, 
or use of pesticides. Since others also may be interested, the Agency 
has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be 
affected by this action. If you have any questions regarding the 
applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?

    1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this 
action under docket identification (ID) number OPP-2005-0168. The 
official public docket consists of this Federal Register Notice, and 
other information related to the Technical Briefing. Although a part of 
the official docket, the public docket does not include Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. The official public docket is the collection of 
materials that is available for public viewing at the Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
2, 1801 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA. This docket facility is 
open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The docket telephone number is (703) 305-5805.

[[Page 37392]]

    2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register'' 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    An electronic version of the public docket is available through 
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, EPA Dockets. You may 
use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to view public comments, 
to access the index listing of the contents of the official public 
docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are 
available electronically. Although not all docket materials may be 
available electronically, you may still access any of the publicly 
available docket materials through the docket facility identified in 
Unit I.B.1. Once in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the 
appropriate docket ID number.

II. Background

    This document announces EPA's intent to hold a public meeting or 
Technical Briefing to present to interested stakeholders the Agency's 
risk assessments for the soil fumigant pesticides dazomet, metam 
sodium, methyl bromide, and 1,3-D or Telone. EPA is assessing risks and 
will develop risk management decisions for five soil fumigants, 
including dazomet, metam sodium, and methyl bromide, plus chloropicrin 
and a new active ingredient, iodomethane. 1,3-D risks will be discussed 
for comparative purposes; however, the Agency's risk management 
decision for 1,3-D was completed in September 1998. Risk assessments 
for chloropicrin and iodomethane will follow about a month later due to 
recently submitted data which are currently under review. The Technical 
Briefing is part of EPA's process to involve the public in developing 
pesticide registration and reregistration eligibility decisions. 
Through these programs, the Agency is ensuring that all pesticides meet 
current health and safety standards.
    At the Technical Briefing, EPA will describe the risk assessments 
and the data, information and methodologies used in developing them. 
Stakeholders will have an opportunity to ask clarifying questions. On 
the day of the Technical Briefing, the soil fumigant risk assessments 
and related documents will be available in their respective pesticide 
Dockets and EDOCKET on the Agency's web site. These docket ID numbers 
will be as follows: Methyl bromide (OPP-2005-0123), 1,3-D (OPP-2005-
0124), metam sodium (OPP-2005-0125), and dazomet (OPP-2005-0128). EPA 
will solicit public comment on the risk assessments and related 
documents through Federal Register notices of availability, which are 
scheduled to be published on the day of the Technical Briefing.
    After considering public comments received, EPA will revise the 
risk assessments for dazomet, metam sodium, methyl bromide, and 1,3-D 
(and later for chloropicrin and iodomethane) and develop any needed 
risk mitigation. Stakeholders and the public will have opportunities, 
including stakeholder meetings during public comment periods, to review 
the revised risk assessments and provide ideas and recommendations on 
risk mitigation options.
    EPA is evaluating the soil fumigants to ensure that its risk 
assessment approaches are consistent, and to ensure that risk tradeoffs 
and economic outcomes can be adequately predicted in reaching risk 
management decisions. Using this approach, the Agency expects to 
address risks of concern while maintaining key use benefits.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: June 23, 2005.
Debra Edwards,
 Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 05-12917 Filed 6-28-05; 8:45 am]
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