[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14513-14514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2708]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162; FRL-7763-9]


Carbofuran Revised Risk Assessments; Notice of Availability and 
Solicitation of Risk Reduction Options

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's revised risk 
assessments for the N-methyl carbamate pesticide carbofuran. In 
addition, this notice solicits public comment on risk reduction options 
for carbofuran and an initial alternatives analysis. The public is 
encouraged to suggest risk management ideas or proposals to address the 
risks identified. EPA is developing an Interim Reregistration 
Eligibility Decision (IRED) for carbofuran through the full, 6-Phase 
public participation process that the Agency uses to involve the public 
in developing pesticide reregistration and tolerance reassessment 
decisions. Through these programs, EPA is ensuring that all pesticides 
meet current health and safety standards.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 22, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0162, 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-2005-0162. 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-
2005-0162. 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: Stephanie Plummer, Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508C), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 305-0076; fax 
number: (703) 308-7042; 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.
    2. Tips for Preparing your Comments. When submitting comments, 
remember to:

[[Page 14514]]

    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 is making available the Agency's revised risk assessments, a 
response to comments, and related documents for carbofuran. The 
Agency's environmental fate and effects risk assessment was initially 
issued for comment through a Federal Register notice published on June 
24, 2005 (70 FR 36586) (FRL-7719-2) and the human health risk 
assessment was initially issued for comment through a Federal Register 
notice published on September 14, 2005 (70 FR 54377) (FRL-7731-4). EPA 
also is soliciting public comment on risk reduction options for 
carbofuran and an initial alternatives analysis. EPA developed the risk 
assessments for carbofuran as part of its public process for making 
pesticide reregistration eligibility and tolerance reassessment 
decisions. Through these programs, EPA is ensuring that pesticides meet 
current standards under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(FFDCA), as amended by the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA).
    Carbofuran works as a cholinesterase inhibitor and is used to treat 
pests of food and non-food crops as either a flowable or granular 
formulation. It is registered for food uses, which include alfalfa, 
artichoke, banana, barley, coffee, corn (field, pop, and sweet), cotton 
seed, cucurbits (cucumber, melons, and squash), grapes, oats, pepper, 
plantain, potato, sorghum, soybean, spinach, sugar beet, sugarcane, 
sunflower, and wheat. Carbofuran is also registered for non-food uses, 
which include agricultural fallow land, cotton, ornamental and/or shade 
trees, ornamental herbaceous plants, ornamental non-flowering plants, 
ornamental woody shrubs and vines, pine, and tobacco. Carbofuran is 
applied by aircraft or ground equipment by methods that include 
broadcast, banded, in furrow, and drip irrigation.
     EPA is providing an opportunity, through this notice, for 
interested parties to provide risk management proposals or otherwise 
comment on risk management for carbofuran. Risks of concern associated 
with the use of carbofuran are: human dietary and occupational risks, 
and ecological risks to birds and mammals. In targeting these risks of 
concern, the Agency solicits information on effective and practical 
risk reduction measures.
     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 on May 14, 
2004, (69 FR 26819)(FRL-7357-9) explains that in conducting these 
programs, EPA 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. 
Due to its uses, risks, and other factors, carbofuran is being reviewed 
through the full 6-Phase public participation process.
     All comments should be submitted using the methods in ADDRESSES, 
and must be received by EPA on or before the closing date. Comments and 
proposals will become part of the Agency Docket for carbofuran. 
Comments received after the close of the comment period will be marked 
``late.'' EPA is not required to consider these late comments.
     After considering comments received, EPA will develop and issue 
for comment the carbofuran IRED. The decisions presented in this IRED 
may be supplemented by further risk mitigation measures when EPA 
considers its cumulative assessment of the N-methyl carbamate 
pesticides.

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

     Section 4(g)(2) of FIFRA as amended directs that, after submission 
of all data concerning a pesticide active ingredient, ``the 
Administrator shall determine whether pesticides containing such active 
ingredient are eligible for reregistration,'' before calling in product 
specific data on individual end-use products and either reregistering 
products or taking other ``appropriate regulatory 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: March 9, 2006.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.s
[FR Doc. 06-2708 Filed 3-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S