[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 198 (Friday, October 10, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60211-60212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24025]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 158 and 161

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0110; FRL-8383-6]


Data Requirements for Antimicrobial Pesticides; Notice of Public 
Workshop

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: EPA is convening a public workshop to explain the provisions 
of its recently proposed rule to update and revise the data 
requirements for registration of antimicrobial pesticides. The workshop 
is intended to provide an opportunity for members of the public to ask 
questions about the proposed rule and seek any clarification they 
believe may assist them in submitting comments to the docket for the 
proposed rule. Any person wishing to comment on the proposed rule must 
submit any comments to the docket within the timeframe set forth in the 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

DATES: The meeting will be held on November 6, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 
4:00 p.m.
    To request accommodation of a disability, please contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably at least 10 
days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to 
process your request.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Office of Pesticide Programs 
(OPP), First Floor Conference Center, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202.
    To facilitate the Agency's planning, your intention to participate 
in the Antimicrobials Workshop, may be submitted to the person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathryn Boyle, Field and External 
Affairs Division (7506P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: 703.305.6304; fax number: 703.305.5884; e-mail 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    You may be affected by this action if you are a producer of 
pesticide products (NAICS code 32532), antifoulants (NAICS code 32551), 
antimicrobial pesticides (NAICS code 32561) or wood preservatives 
(NAICS code 32519), importers of such products, or any person or 
company who seeks to register an antimicrobial, antifoulant coating, 
ballast water treatment, or wood preservative pesticide or to obtain a 
tolerance for such a pesticide. This listing is not intended to be 
exhaustive, but rather provides a guide for readers regarding entities 
likely to be affected by this action. Other types of entities not 
listed above could also be affected. The North American Industrial 
Classification System (NAICS) codes have been provided to assist you 
and others in determining whether this action might apply to certain 
entities. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this 
action to a particular entity, please contact Norm Cook, Chief of the 
Risk Assessment and Science Support Branch in the Antimicrobials 
Division of the Office of Pesticide Programs at 703-308-8253 or via 
email, [email protected].

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

    1. Docket. EPA has established a docket for this action under 
docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0110. 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 Office 
of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One 
Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202. 
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.
    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.

II. Background

    EPA is convening a public workshop to explain the proposed 
revisions to the data requirements for the registration of 
antimicrobial pesticides. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act 
(FFDCA), anyone seeking to register a pesticide product is required to 
provide information to EPA to demonstrate that their products can be 
used without posing ``unreasonable adverse effects on the environment'' 
as defined by FIFRA section 2(bb).
    The public workshop will include presentations by staff from the 
Antimicrobial, and the Field and

[[Page 60212]]

External Affairs Divisions of the Office of Pesticide Programs. The 
proposed revisions are directed at antimicrobial pesticides, not 
conventional pesticides, biochemical and microbial pesticides or 
product performance data requirements. Nonetheless, all interested 
parties are welcome and may benefit from the discussions since two 
areas not addressed in the conventional pesticide (72 FR 60934), or 
biochemical and microbial pesticide (72 FR 60988) data requirements 
final rules are addressed in the antimicrobial data requirements 
proposed rule. These two areas are: down-the-drain data requirements 
and the Program's use of structure-activity-relationship (SAR).
    During the workshop, persons in attendance will be able to ask 
questions regarding the proposed rule and/or material being presented 
and seek any clarification they believe may assist them in submitting 
comments to the docket for the proposed rule. Any person wishing to 
comment on the proposed rule must submit any comments to the docket 
within the timeframe set forth in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for 
the proposed rule.
    The proposed revisions were issued in the Federal Register of 
October 8, 2008. A 90-day comment period will end on January 6, 2009. A 
limited number of copies of the proposed rule will be available at the 
workshop. Attendees are encouraged to access the electronic version of 
the proposed rule from the regulations.gov website under Docket ID No. 
EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0110.

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Parts 158 and 161

    Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
Agricultural commodities, Pesticides and pests, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.


    Dated: September 17, 2008.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E8-24025 Filed 10-9-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S