[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 189 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57505-57506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16063]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0123; FRL-8095-9]


Methyl Bromide; Tolerance Reassessment and Risk Management 
Decision for Methyl Bromide, and Reregistration Eligibility Decision 
for Methyl Bromide's Commodity Uses; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:  Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY:  On August 9, 2006, EPA announced the availability of EPA's 
Tolerance Reassessment and Risk Management Decision (TRED) for Methyl 
Bromide, and Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for Methyl 
Bromide's Commodity Uses, and opened a 60-day public comment period on 
the document. This document announces the extension of the comment 
period for an additional 45 days.

DATES:  Comments, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-
HQ-OPP-2005-0123 must be received on or before November 24, 2006.

ADDRESSES:  Follow the detailed instructions as provided under 
ADDRESSES in the Federal Register document of August 9, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Weiss, Special Review and 
Reregistration Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8293; fax 
number: (703) 308-8005; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    The Agency included in the earlier notice a list of those who may 
be potentially affected by this action. If you have questions regarding 
the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the 
person listed under the 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 
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:
    i. Identify the document by docket ID 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.

C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?

    To submit comments, or access the official public docket, please 
follow the detailed instructions as provided in the ADDRESES Unit of 
the August 9, 2006 Federal Register document. If you have questions, 
consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

II. What Action is EPA taking?

    This document extends the public comment period established in the

[[Page 57506]]

Federal Register issued on August 9, 2006 (71 FR 45546) (FRL-8083-1). 
In that document, EPA announced the availability of EPA's Tolerance 
Reassessment and Risk Management Decision (TRED) for Methyl Bromide, 
and Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for Methyl Bromide's 
Commodity Uses, and opened a public comment period on the document. EPA 
is hereby extending the comment period, which was set to end on October 
10, 2006 for an additional 45 days.
     The reason for this extension is so the public can comment on the 
buffer zone look-up table document that the Agency has placed in the 
docket. This document contains buffer zone look up tables for treatment 
and aeration periods that were described in the August 9, 2006 decision 
document and that are based on information already available in the 
docket. The Agency believes that providing the buffer zone document and 
extending the comment period will ensure that stakeholders will have a 
better understanding of the impacts of the decision document and will 
be able to provide more informed comments for the Agency to consider.
    In addition to providing the look-up tables in the docket, the 
Agency has identified two issues that were included in supporting 
documents but inadvertently omitted or not clearly articulated in the 
decision document. The first issue was the omission of rates for 
several uses in ``Table 2, Summary of Labeling Changes for Methyl 
Bromide Fumigation.'' An updated version of the table is included in 
the docket. The second issue was that the decision document states that 
all buffer zone distances modeled with PERFUM were based on limiting 
bystander exposure to 1 part per million (ppm) for an 8 hour time 
weighted average (TWA). Although not stated in the decision document, 
exposures of durations lasting more than 8 hours were based on limiting 
exposures to 0.33 ppm for a 24-hour TWA. The reason for having two 
different exposure limits is to match the most appropriate toxicity 
endpoint to the expected duration of exposure.

III. 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 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (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.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.

    Dated: September 25, 2006.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of 
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E6-16063 Filed 9-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S