[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 29, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49712-49714]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16806]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0028; FRL-8123-5]


Sodium Carbonate; Weak Mineral Bases; Reregistration Eligibility 
Decision for Low Risk Pesticide; Notice of Availability

AGENCY:  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:  Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:  This notice announces the availability of EPA's 
Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for the pesticide sodium 
carbonate; weak mineral bases, and opens a public comment period on 
this document, related risk assessments, and other support documents. 
EPA has reviewed the low risk pesticide sodium carbonate; weak mineral 
bases through a modified, streamlined version of the 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 October 29, 2007.

ADDRESSES:  Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID)

[[Page 49713]]

number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0028, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public 
Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
     Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), 
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South 
Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only 
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special 
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The 
Docket telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2006-0028. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the 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 Federal regulations.gov Web site 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 http://www.regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured 
and included as part of the comment that is placed in the 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.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index 
available in regulations.gov. To access the electronic docket, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Advanced Search,'' then ``Docket 
Search.'' Insert the docket ID number where indicated and select the 
``Submit'' button. Follow the instructions on the regulations.gov Web 
site to view the docket index or access available documents. Although 
listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., 
CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 
Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on 
the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either in the 
electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov,or, if only available 
in hard copy, at the OPP Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One 
Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The 
hours of operation of this Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The Docket 
Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Diane Isbell, Antimicrobials Division 
(7510P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone 
number: (703) 308-8154; fax number: (703) 308-8481; 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 
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.

II. Background

A. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    Under section 4 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is reevaluating existing pesticides to 
ensure that they meet current scientific and regulatory standards. 
Using a modified, streamlined version of its public participation 
process, EPA has completed a RED for the low risk pesticide, sodium 
carbonate, weak mineral bases under section 4(g)(2)(A) of FIFRA. Sodium 
carbonate is registered as an active ingredient fungicide that is used 
as a neutralizer and buffering agent in industrial and manufacturing 
processes. In addition, sodium carbonate is used as a hard surface 
disinfectant and sanitizer in institutional and residential settings.
     EPA has determined that the data base to support reregistration is 
substantially complete and that products containing sodium carbonate; 
weak mineral bases will be eligible for reregistration. Upon submission 
of any required product

[[Page 49714]]

specific data under section 4(g)(2)(B) and any necessary changes to the 
registration and labeling (either to address any concerns identified in 
the RED or as a result of product specific data), EPA will make a final 
reregistration decision under section 4(g)(2)(C) for products 
containing sodium carbonate; weak mineral bases.
     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, 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 sodium 
carbonate; weak mineral bases, which pose no risk concerns, have low 
use, affect few if any stakeholders, 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 sodium carbonate; weak mineral bases RED.
    The reregistration 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. Sodium carbonate; weak mineral bases, 
however, poses no risks that require mitigation. The Agency therefore 
is issuing the sodium carbonate; weak mineral bases RED, its risk 
assessments, and related support materials 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 RED. All comments should be submitted using the methods in 
ADDRESSES, and must be received by EPA on or before the closing date. 
These comments will become part of the Agency Docket for sodium 
carbonate; weak mineral bases. 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 regulations.gov. If any comment significantly affects the document, 
EPA also will publish an amendment to the RED in the Federal Register. 
In the absence of substantive comments requiring changes, the sodium 
carbonate; weak mineral bases RED will be implemented as it is now 
presented.

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.''

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests, sodium carbonate; 
weak mineral bases.

    Dated: August 9, 2007.
Frank Sanders,
Director, Antimicrobials Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E7-16806 Filed 8-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S