[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9114-9115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2509]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0505; FRL-7762-9]


Tridemorph; Tolerance Reassessment Decision for Low Risk 
Pesticide; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's Tolerance 
Reassessment Decision (TRED) for tridemorph, and opens a public comment 
period on this document, related risk assessments, and other support 
documents. EPA has reviewed the low risk pesticide tridemorph through a 
modified, streamlined version of the public participation process that 
the Agency uses to involve the public in developing pesticide tolerance 
reassessment and reregistration decisions. Through the tolerance 
reassessment program, EPA is ensuring that all pesticides meet current 
health and food safety standards.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 24, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0505, by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Public Information and Records Integrity Branch 
(PIRIB) (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001.
    Hand Delivery: Public Information and Records Integrity Branch 
(PIRIB) (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Environmental 
Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 2, 1801 S. Bell St., 
Arlington, VA.
    Attention: Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0505. The docket 
facility is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the docket facility 
is (703) 305-5805. Such deliveries are only accepted during the 
Docket's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be 
made for deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2005-0505. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available on-line 
at http://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information 
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov, 
your e-mail address will be captured automatically and included as part 
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available 
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends 
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of 
your comment and with any disk or CD ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read 
your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic 
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/docket.htm/.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the 
regulation.gov index. Although listed in the index, some information is 
not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information whose disclosure 
is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted 
material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. Publicly 
available docket materials are available either electronically at 
http://www.regulations.gov/ or in hard copy at the Public Information 
and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB) (7502C), Office of Pesticide 
Programs (OPP), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. 119, Crystal Mall 
2, 1801 S. Bell St., Arlington, VA. The docket facility is 
open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number for the docket facility is (703) 305-
5805.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Molly Clayton, Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 603-0522; fax 
number: (703) 308-8041; 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. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
www.regulations.gov or e-mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or 
CD ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as 
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one 
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as 
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information 
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.

[[Page 9115]]

    2. Tips for Preparing your Comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:
    i. Identify the document by docket number and other identifying 
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
    ii. Follow directions. The agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns, and 
suggest alternatives.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of 
profanity or personal threats.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. Background

A. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    EPA has reassessed the uses of tridemorph, reassessed one existing 
tolerance or legal residue limit, and on January 11, 2006, reached a 
tolerance reassessment decision for this low risk pesticide. Tridemorph 
is a systemic fungicide used to control yellow and black sigatoka on 
imported bananas and plantain. There are no U.S. registrations for 
tridemorph. The Agency is now issuing for comment the resulting Report 
on Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Tolerance Reassessment Progress 
and Risk Management Decision for tridemorph, known as a TRED, as well 
as related risk assessments and technical support documents.
    EPA developed the tridemorph TRED through a modified, streamlined 
version of its public process for making tolerance reassessment and 
reregistration eligibility decisions. Through these programs, the 
Agency is ensuring that pesticides meet current standards under the 
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) and the Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended by 
FQPA. EPA must review tolerances and tolerance exemptions that were in 
effect when the FQPA was enacted, to ensure that these existing 
pesticide residue limits for food and feed commodities meet the safety 
standard established by the new law. Tolerances are considered 
reassessed once the safety finding has been made or a revocation 
occurs. EPA has reviewed and made the requisite safety finding for the 
tridemorph tolerances included in this notice.
    EPA is applying the principles of public participation to all 
pesticides undergoing reregistration and tolerance reassessment. The 
Agency's Pesticide Tolerance Reassessment and Reregistration; Public 
Participation Process, published in the Federal Register of May 14, 
2004 (69 FR 26819) (FRL-7357-9) explains that in conducting these 
programs, the Agency is tailoring its public participation process to 
be commensurate with the level of risk, extent of use, complexity of 
issues, and degree of public concern associated with each pesticide. 
EPA can expeditiously reach decisions for pesticides like tridemorph, 
which pose no risk concerns and require no risk mitigation. Once EPA 
assesses uses and risks for such low risk pesticides, the Agency may go 
directly to a decision and prepare a document summarizing its findings, 
such as the tridemorph TRED.
    The tolerance reassessment program is being conducted under 
Congressionally mandated time frames, and EPA recognizes the need both 
to make timely decisions and to involve the public in finding ways to 
effectively mitigate pesticide risks. Tridemorph, however, poses no 
risks that require mitigation. The Agency therefore is issuing the 
tridemorph TRED, its risk assessments, and related support documents 
simultaneously for public comment. The comment period is intended to 
provide an opportunity for public input and a mechanism for initiating 
any necessary amendments to the TRED. All comments should be submitted 
using the methods in Unit I of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, and must 
be received by EPA on or before the closing date. These comments will 
become part of the Agency Docket for tridemorph. Comments received 
after the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is 
not required to consider these late comments.
    EPA will carefully consider all comments received by the closing 
date and will provide a Response to Comments Memorandum in the Docket 
and electronic EDOCKET. If any comment significantly affects the 
document, EPA also will publish an amendment to the TRED in the Federal 
Register. In the absence of substantive comments requiring changes, the 
decisions reflected in the TRED will be implemented as presented.

B. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?

    Section 408(q) of the FFDCA, 21 U.S.C. 346a(q), requires EPA to 
review tolerances and exemptions for pesticide residues in effect as of 
August 2, 1996, to determine whether the tolerance or exemption meets 
the requirements of section 408(b)(2) or (c)(2) of FFDCA. This review 
is to be completed by August 3, 2006.


List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.


    Dated: February 13, 2006.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E6-2509 Filed 2-21-06; 8:45 am]
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