[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 249 (Friday, December 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76479-76482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-31277]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0574; FRL-9356-8]


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 Issues Concerning the Draft Product 
Performance Data Needs Assessment for Products Claiming Efficacy 
Against Invertebrate Pests.

DATES: The meeting will be held on March 19-21, 2013, from 
approximately 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
    Comments. The Agency encourages that written comments be submitted 
by March 5, 2013, and requests for oral comments be submitted by March 
12, 2013. However, written comments and requests to make oral comments 
may be submitted until the date of the meeting, but anyone submitting 
written comments after March 5, 2013, 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 January 
14, 2013.

[[Page 76480]]

    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-2012-0574 by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to 
be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute.
     Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), Mail Code: (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.htm. Additional 
instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more 
information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    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; email 
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-2012-0574 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 March 5, 
2013, 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 March 5, 
2013, should contact the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. Anyone submitting written comments at the meeting should bring 
30 copies for distribution to 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 March 12, 2013, 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 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 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 FIFRA SAP. Any interested person or 
organization may nominate qualified individuals to be considered as 
prospective candidates for a specific meeting. Individuals nominated 
for this meeting should have expertise in one or more of the following 
areas:
     Insecticide testing/bioassay design,
     Medical entomology and pest management,
     Veterinary entomology and pest management, and
     Urban entomology and pest management.
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,

[[Page 76481]]

occupation, position, address, and telephone number. Nominations should 
be provided to the DFO listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT on 
or before January 14, 2013. 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 FIFRA SAP members 
participating at this meeting will be posted on the FIFRA SAP Web site 
at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap or may be obtained from the OPP 
Regulatory Public Docket at http://www.regulations.gov.

II. Background

A. Purpose of the FIFRA SAP

    The 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. The FIFRA SAP is a Federal advisory committee established 
in 1975 under FIFRA that operates in accordance with requirements of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The 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 FIFRA SAP will meet to consider scientific issues associated 
with product performance data that may be needed for EPA to evaluate 
the efficacy of pesticide products used to control invertebrate pests. 
The SAP's recommendations will be considered as EPA develops the 
proposed invertebrate product performance data requirements. Once EPA 
codifies product performance data requirements, the regulations will 
provide the regulated community and other interested parties a better 
understanding of the data required to support registration of a product 
claiming pesticidal activity against three categories of invertebrate 
pests.
    Recent developments in vector-borne diseases, such as the spread of 
the West Nile virus, outbreaks of dengue in Florida, and epidemic Rocky 
Mountain spotted fever on Indian Lands, together with the re-emergence 
of bed bugs in public housing and multifamily dwellings, have signaled 
the need to assess more carefully the threat of invertebrate pests to 
public health. At the same time, invasive wood-destroying insects such 
as the Emerald Ash Borer or Asian long-horned beetle present 
significant economic impacts to homes and native plant species. EPA-
registered insecticide products are an important part of pest 
management programs and consumer efforts to accomplish pest control. 
EPA is considering the product performance data needed to support the 
registration of pesticide products claiming efficacy against 
invertebrate pests of significant public health or economic importance. 
The data being considered include a category of invertebrate pests 
identified to be of significant public health importance (e.g., ticks, 
mosquitoes, cockroaches). The other two categories are considered to be 
of significant economic importance: Wood-destroying insects (e.g., 
termites), and invasive invertebrate species.
    In response to these recent developments, EPA is considering the 
product performance data that may be needed for EPA to evaluate the 
efficacy of pesticide products used to control invertebrate pests. The 
FIFRA SAP will meet to consider certain scientific issues identified by 
the Agency. The main topics for consideration by the FIFRA SAP are the 
science criteria for: (1) Identifying the public health pests, wood-
destroying insects, and invasive species for which product performance 
data are needed; (2) evaluating pest groupings and selection of 
appropriate surrogate species for efficacy testing; (3) adequacy of the 
performance standards being considered; (4) providing consistency in 
product performance studies submitted to EPA; and(5) ensuring the 
likelihood that EPA- registered products will perform as expected. The 
Agency also believes that revision of these product performance data 
requirements will improve the transparency of EPA practices to the 
public and registrants.

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C. FIFRA SAP Documents and Meeting Minutes

    EPA's background paper, related supporting materials, charge/
questions to the FIFRA SAP, the FIFRA SAP composition (i.e., members 
and ad hoc members for this meeting), and the meeting agenda will be 
available by mid-February. In addition, the Agency may provide 
additional background 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 approximately 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 1, 2012.
Frank Sanders,
Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.
[FR Doc. 2012-31277 Filed 12-27-12; 8:45 am]
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