[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55793-55794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22162]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0233; FRL-9916-72]


Office of Pesticide Programs; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and 
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively, the 
Services), are holding a 1-day workshop to provide a forum for 
stakeholders to offer scientific and technical feedback on the interim 
approaches that were issued in November 2013 by EPA, USDA, and the 
Services in response to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report 
entitled, ``Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from 
Pesticides.'' The workshop is an opportunity for stakeholders and 
agencies to continue their dialogue on the technical aspects of 
implementing the NAS recommendations, building upon public meetings 
held in November and December 2013, April 2014, and the implementation 
of the enhanced stakeholder engagement process that was finalized in 
March 2013. The workshop is not designed to, or intended to be a 
decisionmaking forum; consensus will not be sought or developed at the 
meeting. This meeting furthers the agencies' goal of developing a 
consultation process for pesticide impacts on listed species that is 
efficient, inclusive, and transparent.

DATES: The meeting will be held on October 6, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 5 
p.m.
    Requests to participate in the meeting must be received on or 
before September 26, 2014.
    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 in the Rachel Carson Room at FWS, 
Skyline, Bldg. 7, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Bailey's Crossroads, VA. See Unit 
III. for additional information.
    Requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket 
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0233, are submitted to the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For general information contact: Catherine Eiden, Pesticide Re-
evaluation Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 305-7887; email 
address: [email protected].
    For meeting logistics or registration contact: Keith A Paul, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Ecological Services, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803; telephone: (703) 358-2675; 
fax: (703) 358-1800; cell: 530-840-0658; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    You may be potentially affected by this action if you develop, 
manufacture, formulate, sell, and/or apply pesticide products, and if 
you are interested in the potential impacts of pesticide use on listed 
species. The following list of North American Industrial Classification 
System (NAICS) codes is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather 
provides a guide to help readers determine whether this document 
applies to them. Potentially affected entities may include:
     Crop production (NAICS code 111).
     Animal production (NAICS code 112).
     Food manufacturing (NAICS code 311).
     Pesticide manufacturing (NAICS code 32532).

B. How can I get copies of this document and other related information?

    The docket for this action, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0233, is available at http://www.regulations.gov or at the Office of Pesticide Programs Regulatory 
Public Docket (OPP Docket) in the Environmental Protection Agency 
Docket Center (EPA/DC), West William Jefferson Clinton Bldg., Rm. 3334, 
1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001. The Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public 
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPP 
Docket is (703) 305-5805. Please review the visitor instructions and 
additional information about the docket available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

II. Background

    The workshop is an opportunity for stakeholders and agencies to 
continue their dialogue on the technical aspects of implementing the 
NAS recommendations, building upon public meetings held in November and 
December 2013, April 2014, and the implementation of the enhanced 
stakeholder engagement process that was finalized in March 2013. The 
workshop is not designed, or intended to be a decisionmaking forum; 
consensus will not be sought, or developed at the meeting.
    Stakeholders will be asked to provide scientific and technical 
information that could potentially be used by the agencies to inform 
various scientific determinations that will be made during the course 
of evaluation pesticides, including:

[[Page 55794]]

    1. Systematic methods for implementing ``Weight of Evidence'' 
analysis that consider both quantitative and qualitative data.
    2. Approaches for ensuring ``Data Quality.''
    3. The consideration of ``uncertainty'' in the scientific 
assessment process.

While the focus of this public meeting is on the three topics noted in 
this unit, comments on all aspects of the materials previously provided 
to the public will be accepted. The agencies' interim approach document 
entitled, ``Interagency Approach for Implementation of the National 
Academy of Sciences Report'' dated November 13, 2013, and the 
presentation materials from the November 2013 stakeholder workshop are 
available at the following Web site: http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/endanger/2013/nas.html.
    In addition to the scientific and technical information presented 
by stakeholders, representatives from Federal agencies will join the 
dialogue to ask clarifying questions of the presenters and to respond 
to questions regarding the pesticide registration process and 
Endangered Species Act consultation. The agencies see this forum as an 
integral component of the stakeholder engagement process developed for 
pesticide consultations and contributes to the agencies' commitment to 
adapt and refine the interim approaches as we progress through the 
initial consultations.

III. Participation in This Meeting

    1. Requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket ID 
number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0233, must be received on or before September 
26, 2014. Do not submit any information considered confidential 
business information (CBI) in your request to participate in the 
meeting sent to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    2. Public parking is available for attendees; follow the blue signs 
to the lot. There is a fee for all day parking.
    3. Attendees will need to present identification at the Security 
check-in.
    4. Webinar and teleconference information will be provided to 
participants requesting access via webinar and telephone.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

    Dated: September 11, 2014.
Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.,
Director, Pesticide Re-evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-22162 Filed 9-16-14; 8:45 am]
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