[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2212-2213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00740]
[[Page 2212]]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0844; FRL-9940-82]
Imidacloprid Registration Review; Draft Pollinator Ecological
Risk Assessment; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's draft
pollinator-only ecological risk assessment for the registration review
of imidacloprid and opens a public comment period on this document.
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, the
Agency has completed a comprehensive draft pollinator-only ecological
risk assessment for all registered agricultural uses of imidacloprid,
with focus on agricultural crops that are attractive to pollinators.
After reviewing comments received during the public comment period, EPA
will issue a revised pollinator risk assessment, explain any changes to
the draft risk assessment, and respond to comments and may request
public input on risk mitigation before completing a proposed
registration review decision for imidacloprid. The revised risk
assessment will also address the ecological risks for all other taxa,
as well as a comprehensive draft human health risk assessment. Through
the registration review 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 March 15, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0844, 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: Kelly Ballard, Chemical
Review Manager, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), Office of
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 305-8126;
email address: [email protected].
For general questions on the registration review program, contact:
Rich Dumas, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), Office of
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8015;
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 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 review of imidacloprid 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
registration for imidacloprid to ensure that it continues to satisfy
the FIFRA standard for registration--that is, that imidacloprid can
still be used without unreasonable adverse effects on human health or
the environment. Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide used for
the control of sucking insects on a large variety of agricultural and
non-agricultural sites, including vegetable crops, tree nuts, tree
fruits, stone fruits,
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cotton, tobacco, grapes, citrus, turf, and ornamentals. EPA has
completed a comprehensive draft pollinator-only ecological risk
assessment for all registered agricultural uses of imidacloprid, with
focus on agricultural crops that are attractive to pollinators.
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 pollinator-only
ecological risk assessment for imidacloprid. Such comments and input
could address, among other things, the Agency's risk assessment
methodologies and assumptions, as applied to this draft pollinator-only
risk assessment. The Agency will consider all comments received during
the public comment period and make changes, as appropriate, to the
draft pollinator-only risk assessment. EPA will then issue a revised
pollinator risk assessment, explain any changes to the draft risk
assessment, and respond to comments. In the Federal Register notice
announcing the availability of the revised risk assessment, if the
revised risk assessment indicates risks of concern, the Agency may
provide a comment period for the public to submit suggestions for
mitigating the risk identified in the revised risk assessment before
developing a proposed registration review decision on imidacloprid.
Additionally, the revised risk assessment will also address ecological
risks for all other taxa, as well as a comprehensive draft human health
risk assessment.
1. Other related information. Additional information on
imidacloprid is available on the Pesticide Registration Review Status
Web page. 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 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: January 8, 2016.
Michael Goodis,
Acting Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2016-00740 Filed 1-14-16; 8:45 am]
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