[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55381-55384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22843]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0718; FRL-8886-9]
FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel; Notice of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: There will be a 3-day meeting of the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) to
consider and review scientific conclusions supporting EPA's FIFRA
Section 6(b) Notice of Intent to Cancel Twenty Homeowner Rodenticide
Bait Products.
DATES: The meeting will be held on November 29, 2011, through December
1, 2011, from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Comments. The Agency encourages that written comments be submitted
by November 15, 2011, and requests for oral comments be submitted by
November 22, 2011. However, written comments and requests to make oral
comments may be submitted until the date of the meeting, but anyone
submitting written comments after November 15, 2011, should contact the
Designated Federal Official (DFO) listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. For additional instructions, see Unit I.C. of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Nominations. Nominations of candidates to serve as ad hoc members
of FIFRA SAP for this meeting should be provided on or before September
21, 2011.
Webcast. This meeting may be webcast. Please refer to the FIFRA
SAP's Web site, http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/SAP for information on how
to access the webcast. Please note that the webcast is a supplementary
public process provided only for convenience. If difficulties arise
resulting in webcasting outages, the meeting will continue as planned.
Special accommodations. For information on access or services for
individuals with disabilities, and to request accommodation of a
disability, please contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT 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 Environmental Protection
Agency, Conference Center, Lobby Level, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.),
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202.
Comments. Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0718, 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 Facility'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 Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2011-0718. If your comments contain any
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information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected, please
contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to obtain
special instructions before submitting your comments. 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 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 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 at http://www.regulations.gov. 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.
Nominations, requests to present oral comments, and requests for
special accommodations. Submit nominations to serve as ad hoc members
of FIFRA SAP, requests for special seating accommodations, or requests
to present oral comments to the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph E. Bailey, DFO, Office of
Science Coordination and Policy (7201M), Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001;
telephone number: (202) 564-2045; fax number: (202) 564-8382; 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. This action may,
however, be of interest to persons who are or may be required to
conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug,
and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), FIFRA, and the Food Quality Protection Act of
1996 (FQPA). Since other entities may also 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 DFO
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
When submitting comments, remember to:
1. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
2. 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.
3. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
4. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
5. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
6. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
7. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
8. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline
identified.
C. How may I participate in this meeting?
You may participate in this meeting by following the instructions
in this unit. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that
you identify docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0718 in the subject line
on the first page of your request.
1. Written comments. The Agency encourages that written comments be
submitted, using the instructions in ADDRESSES, no later than November
15, 2011, to provide FIFRA SAP the time necessary to consider and
review the written comments. Written comments are accepted until the
date of the meeting, but anyone submitting written comments after
November 15, 2011, should contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Anyone submitting written comments should bring 30
copies to the meeting for distribution to the FIFRA SAP.
2. Oral comments. The Agency encourages that each individual or
group wishing to make brief oral comments to FIFRA SAP submit their
request to the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT no
later than November 22, 2011, in order to be included on the meeting
agenda. Requests to present oral comments will be accepted until the
date of the meeting and, to the extent that time permits, the Chair of
FIFRA SAP may permit the presentation of oral comments at the meeting
by interested persons who have not previously requested time. The
request should identify the name of the individual making the
presentation, the organization (if any) the individual will represent,
and any requirements for audiovisual equipment (e.g., overhead
projector, 35 mm projector, chalkboard). Oral comments before the FIFRA
SAP are limited to approximately 5 minutes unless prior arrangements
have been made. In addition, each speaker should bring 30 copies of his
or her comments and presentation slides for distribution to the FIFRA
SAP at the meeting.
3. Seating at the meeting. Seating at the meeting will be open and
on a first-come basis.
4. Request for nominations to serve as ad hoc members of the FIFRA
SAP for this meeting. As part of a broader process for developing a
pool of candidates for each meeting, FIFRA SAP staff routinely solicits
the stakeholder community for nominations of prospective candidates for
service as ad hoc members of the FIFRA SAP. Any interested person or
organization may nominate qualified individuals to be considered as
prospective candidates for a specific meeting. Individuals
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nominated for this meeting should have expertise in one or more of the
following areas: Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Biology (including
assessment of poisoning incidents and case evaluation of mortality);
Toxicology/Pharmacology of Rodenticides; Veterinarian Science
(including pet poisoning incident surveillance); Human Poisoning
Surveillance; and Rodent Biology and Control. Nominees should be
scientists who have sufficient professional qualifications, including
training and experience, to be capable of providing expert comments on
the scientific issues for this meeting. Nominees should be identified
by name, occupation, position, address, and telephone number.
Nominations should be provided to the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT on or before September 21, 2011. The Agency will
consider all nominations of prospective candidates for this meeting
that are received on or before this date. However, final selection of
ad hoc members for this meeting is a discretionary function of the
Agency.
The selection of scientists to serve on the FIFRA SAP is based on
the function of the panel and the expertise needed to address the
Agency's charge to the panel. No interested scientists shall be
ineligible to serve by reason of their membership on any other advisory
committee to a Federal department or agency or their employment by a
Federal department or agency except the EPA. Other factors considered
during the selection process include availability of the potential
panel member to fully participate in the panel's reviews, absence of
any conflicts of interest or appearance of lack of impartiality,
independence with respect to the matters under review, and lack of
bias. Although financial conflicts of interest, the appearance of lack
of impartiality, lack of independence, and bias may result in
disqualification, the absence of such concerns does not assure that a
candidate will be selected to serve on the FIFRA SAP. Numerous
qualified candidates are identified for each panel. Therefore,
selection decisions involve carefully weighing a number of factors
including the candidates' areas of expertise and professional
qualifications and achieving an overall balance of different scientific
perspectives on the panel. In order to have the collective breadth of
experience needed to address the Agency's charge for this meeting, the
Agency anticipates selecting approximately 10 ad hoc scientists.
FIFRA SAP members are subject to the provisions of 5 CFR part 2634,
Executive Branch Financial Disclosure, as supplemented by the EPA in 5
CFR part 6401. In anticipation of this requirement, prospective
candidates for service on the FIFRA SAP will be asked to submit
confidential financial information which shall fully disclose, among
other financial interests, the candidate's employment, stocks and
bonds, and where applicable, sources of research support. The EPA will
evaluate the candidates financial disclosure form to assess whether
there are financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a lack of
impartiality or any prior involvement with the development of the
documents under consideration (including previous scientific peer
review) before the candidate is considered further for service on the
FIFRA SAP. Those who are selected from the pool of prospective
candidates will be asked to attend the public meetings and to
participate in the discussion of key issues and assumptions at these
meetings. In addition, they will be asked to review and to help
finalize the meeting minutes. The list of the FIFRA SAP members
participating at this meeting will be posted on the FIFRA SAP Web site
at http://epa.gov/scipoly/sap or may be obtained from the OPP
Regulatory Public Docket at http://www.regulations.gov.
II. Background
A. Purpose of FIFRA SAP
FIFRA SAP serves as the primary scientific peer review mechanism of
EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) and is
structured to provide scientific advice, information and
recommendations to the EPA Administrator on pesticides and pesticide-
related issues as to the impact of regulatory actions on health and the
environment. FIFRA SAP is a Federal advisory committee established in
1975 under FIFRA that operates in accordance with requirements of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act. FIFRA SAP is composed of a permanent
panel consisting of seven members who are appointed by the EPA
Administrator from nominees provided by the National Institutes of
Health and the National Science Foundation. FIFRA, as amended by FQPA,
established a Science Review Board consisting of at least 60 scientists
who are available to the SAP on an ad hoc basis to assist in reviews
conducted by the SAP. As a peer review mechanism, the FIFRA SAP
provides comments, evaluations and recommendations to improve the
effectiveness and quality of analyses made by Agency scientists.
Members of the FIFRA SAP are scientists who have sufficient
professional qualifications, including training and experience, to
provide expert advice and recommendation to the Agency.
B. Public Meeting
The EPA's 2008 Risk Mitigation Decision for Ten Rodenticides (RMD)
concluded more than a decade of Agency review of commensal
rodenticides. The RMD concluded that registrants of commensal
rodenticide products needed to adopt certain risk mitigation measures
in order to meet the FIFRA registration standard of not causing
unreasonable adverse effects on the environment. In 2008, EPA gave
registrants of commensal rodenticide bait products 3 years to research,
develop, and register new consumer/homeowner products that adopted
these risk mitigation measures designed to greatly reduce child, pet,
and non-target wildlife exposure to rodenticides. The Agency intends to
propose a Notice of Intent to Cancel (NOIC) for 20 consumer/homeowner
rodenticide products for which registrants have refused to voluntarily
adopt the risk mitigation measures. The Agency will be seeking advice
and recommendations from the SAP on the following scientific issues
associated with the proposed NOIC:
EPA's evaluation of human and pet incidents of accidental
exposure to rodenticides.
EPA's evaluation of ecological incidents of accidental
exposure to rodenticides.
The differences in uptake and clearance of first-
generation anticoagulant rodenticides, non-anticoagulant rodenticides,
and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, in target and non-
target wildlife.
EPA's ecological risk assessments for rodenticides,
including ecological risks of first-generation anticoagulant
rodenticides, non-anticoagulant rodenticides, and second-generation
anticoagulant rodenticides.
The differences in secondary ecological exposure between
first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, non-anticoagulant
rodenticides, and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.
C. FIFRA SAP Documents and Meeting Minutes
EPA's background paper, related supporting materials, charge/
questions to the FIFRA SAP, FIFRA SAP composition (i.e., members and ad
hoc members for this meeting), and the meeting agenda will be available
by late October. In addition, the Agency may provide additional
background
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documents as the materials become available. You may obtain electronic
copies of these documents, and certain other related documents that
might be available electronically, at http://www.regulations.gov and
the FIFRA SAP homepage at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap.
The FIFRA SAP will prepare meeting minutes summarizing its
recommendations to the Agency within 90 days after the meeting. The
meeting minutes will be posted on the FIFRA SAP Web site or may be
obtained from the OPP Regulatory Public Docket at http://www.regulations.gov.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: August 30, 2011.
Frank Sanders,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.
[FR Doc. 2011-22843 Filed 9-6-11; 8:45 am]
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