[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77483-77485]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29882]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0807; FRL-9919-06]


Registration Review; Draft Human Health and Ecological Risk 
Assessments; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's draft human 
health and ecological risk assessments for the registration reviews of 
bentazon, daminozide, and d-limonene and opens a public comment period 
on these documents. Registration review is EPA's periodic review of 
pesticide registrations to ensure that each pesticide continues to 
satisfy the statutory standard for registration, that is, the pesticide 
can perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects 
on human health or the environment. As part of the registration review 
process for each case, the Agency has drafted a human health and 
ecological risk assessment for all uses of the previously listed 
pesticide chemicals. The ecological risk assessment includes or will 
include an assessment of risks to listed species, and the human health 
and ecological risk assessments includes or will include a 
determination of endocrine disrupter effects for the case. After 
reviewing comments received during the public comment period, EPA may 
issue revised risk assessments, explain any changes to the draft risk 
assessments, and respond to comments. The Agency also will request 
public input on any proposed risk mitigation measures before completing 
proposed registration review decisions for the previously listed 
pesticide chemicals. Through this program, EPA is ensuring that each 
pesticide's registration is based on current scientific and other 
knowledge, including its effects on human health and the environment.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 23, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0807, 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), (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.html.
    Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For pesticide specific information 
contact: Chemical Review Manager identified in the table in Unit III.A. 
for the pesticide of interest.
    For general questions on the registration review program, contact: 
Richard Dumas, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), Office of 
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 305-8015; 
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, and may be of 
interest to a wide range of stakeholders including environmental, human 
health, farm worker, 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 Chemical Review Manager 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 email. 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

[[Page 77484]]

accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Tips for preparing your comments. When preparing and submitting 
your comments, see the commenting tips at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html.
    3. Environmental justice. EPA seeks to achieve environmental 
justice, the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of any group, 
including minority and/or low income populations, in the development, 
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and 
policies. To help address potential environmental justice issues, the 
Agency seeks information on any groups or segments of the population 
who, as a result of their location, cultural practices, or other 
factors, may have atypical or disproportionately high and adverse human 
health impacts or environmental effects from exposure to the 
pesticide(s) discussed in this document, compared to the general 
population.

II. Authority

    EPA is conducting its registration reviews of bentazon, daminozide, 
and d-limonene pursuant to section 3(g) of the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Procedural Regulations 
for Registration Review at 40 CFR part 155, subpart C. Section 3(g) of 
FIFRA provides, among other things, that the registrations of 
pesticides are to be reviewed every 15 years. Under FIFRA, a pesticide 
product may be registered or remain registered only if it meets the 
statutory standard for registration given in FIFRA section 3(c)(5) (7 
U.S.C. 136a(c)(5)). When used in accordance with widespread and 
commonly recognized practice, the pesticide product must perform its 
intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on the 
environment; that is, without any unreasonable risk to man or the 
environment, or a human dietary risk from residues that result from the 
use of a pesticide in or on food.

III. Registration Reviews

    As directed by FIFRA section 3(g), EPA is reviewing the pesticide 
registrations for bentazon, daminozide, and d-limonene to ensure that 
they continue to satisfy the FIFRA standard for registration--that is, 
these pesticides can still be used without unreasonable adverse effects 
on human health or the environment. Information on the type of 
pesticide, target pests and uses sites can be found below for each 
case. EPA has completed draft human health and/or ecological risk 
assessments for all bentazon, daminozide, and d-limonene uses.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 155.53(c), EPA is providing an opportunity, 
through this notice of availability, for interested parties to provide 
comments and input concerning the Agency's draft human health and 
ecological risk assessments for bentazon, daminozide, and d-limonene. 
Such comments and input could address, among other things, the Agency's 
risk assessment methodologies and assumptions, as applied to these 
draft risk assessments. The Agency will consider all comments received 
during the public comment period and make changes, as appropriate, to 
the draft human health and ecological risk assessments. EPA will then, 
as needed, issue revised risk assessments, explain any changes to the 
draft risk assessments, and respond to the comments. In the Federal 
Register notice announcing the availability of the revised risk 
assessments, if a revised risk assessment indicates risks of concern, 
the Agency may provide a comment period for the public to submit 
suggestions for mitigating the risks identified in the revised risk 
assessment before developing a proposed registration review decision. 
Alternatively, the Agency may seek public comment on a proposed 
registration review decision without revising the risk assessments for 
any given chemical. At present, EPA is releasing registration review 
draft risk assessments for the pesticide cases identified in the 
following table and further described after the table.

                                   Registration Review Draft Risk Assessments
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                                                                                       Chemical review manager,
  Registration review case name and              Pesticide docket ID No.             telephone number, and email
                 No.                                                                           address
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bentazon (Case 0182)................  EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0117                           Carolyn Schroeder, (703)
                                                                                      308-2961,
                                                                                      [email protected].
Daminozide (Case 0032)..............  EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0242                           Margaret Hathaway, (703)
                                                                                      305-5076,
                                                                                      [email protected].
d-Limonene (Case 3083)..............  EPA HQ-OPP-2010-0673                           Benjamin Askin, (703) 347-
                                                                                      0503,
                                                                                      [email protected].
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    Bentazon. Bentazon is a benzothiadiazole herbicide registered to 
control post-emergent broadleaf weeds and sedges in numerous 
agricultural field crops, and around trees and vines in various fruit 
and nut crops. Bentazon is also registered for use to control weeds in 
residential and recreational lawns around ornamental plants. EPA has 
completed a comprehensive draft human health and ecological risk 
assessment for all bentazon uses.
    Daminozide. Daminozide is a systemic growth regulator registered 
for use on ornamental plants grown in commercial or research 
greenhouses, shadehouses, and nurseries. If used in outdoor nursery 
areas, daminozide can only be applied to containerized ornamentals. EPA 
has completed a comprehensive draft human health and ecological risk 
assessment for all daminozide uses.
    d-Limonene. D-Limonene is an acaricide, herbicide, insecticide, and 
also acts as an insect repellent/feeding depressant and is used to 
control flying insects, flies, ants, cockroaches, mosquito larvae, 
fleas and ticks in terrestrial food and feed crops, as well as an non-
food sites, indoor and outdoor residential sites, and aquatic sites. 
EPA has completed comprehensive draft human health and ecological risk 
assessments for d-limonene uses.
    1. Other related information. Additional information on Bentazon, 
Daminozide, and d-Limonene is available on the Pesticide Registration 
Review Status Web page for these pesticides, http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chemicalsearch/. Information on the Agency's registration 
review program and its implementing regulation is available at http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review.
    2. Information submission requirements. Anyone may submit data or 
information in response to this document. To be considered during a 
pesticide's registration review, the submitted data or information must 
meet the following requirements:
     To ensure that EPA will consider data or information 
submitted, interested persons must submit the data or information 
during the comment period. The Agency may, at its discretion, consider 
data or information submitted at a later date.
     The data or information submitted must be presented in a 
legible and useable form. For example, an English translation must 
accompany any material that is not in English and a

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written transcript must accompany any information submitted as an 
audiographic or videographic record. Written material may be submitted 
in paper or electronic form.
     Submitters must clearly identify the source of any 
submitted data or information.
     Submitters may request the Agency to reconsider data or 
information that the Agency rejected in a previous review. However, 
submitters must explain why they believe the Agency should reconsider 
the data or information in the pesticide's registration review.
    As provided in 40 CFR 155.58, the registration review docket for 
each pesticide case will remain publicly accessible through the 
duration of the registration review process; that is, until all actions 
required in the final decision on the registration review case have 
been completed.

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

    Dated: December 15, 2014.
Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.,
Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-29882 Filed 12-23-14; 8:45 am]
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