[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 87 (Monday, May 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19782-19783]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09222]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0361; FRL-9992-96]


Glyphosate Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision; Notice 
of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the availability of EPA's Proposed 
Interim Registration Review Decision for glyphosate and opens a 60-day 
public comment period on the proposed decision.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 5, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by the docket 
identification (ID) number for the specific pesticide of interest 
provided in the Table in Unit IV, 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: The glyphosate registration review email address identified in 
the Table in Unit IV.
    For general information on the registration review program, 
contact: Dana Friedman, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), 
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: 
(703) 347-8827; 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, 
contact the glyphosate registration review email address and phone 
number identified in the Table in Unit IV.

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 on 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

[[Page 19783]]

comments, see the commenting tips at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html.

II. Background

    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 proposed interim registration review 
decision for the pesticide glyphosate. 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.

III. Authority

    EPA is conducting its registration review of the chemical listed in 
the Table in Unit IV pursuant to section 3(g) of the Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7 U.S.C. 136a et 
seq., and the Procedural Regulations for Registration Review at 40 CFR 
part 155, subpart C. FIFRA section 3(g) 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.

IV. What action is the Agency taking?

    Pursuant to 40 CFR 155.58, this document announces the availability 
of EPA's proposed interim registration review decision for the 
pesticide shown in the following table and opens a 60-day public 
comment period on the proposed interim registration review decision.

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                                                                                        Email and phone  contact
 Registration review  case name and No.                  Docket ID No.                        information
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Glyphosate Case 0178...................  EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0361                          [email protected], 703-347-0292.
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    The registration review docket for a pesticide includes earlier 
documents related to the registration review case. For example, the 
review opened with a Preliminary Work Plan, for public comment. A Final 
Work Plan was placed in the docket following public comment on the 
Preliminary Work Plan.
    Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide registered for 
use in various agricultural and non-agricultural settings. Agricultural 
use sites include glyphosate-resistant (transgenic) crops such as 
canola, corn, cotton, soybean, and sugar beet. Non-agricultural use 
sites include residential areas, turf, rights of ways, and aquatic 
areas. In 2017, EPA published comprehensive ecological and human health 
risk assessments for glyphosate. No human health risks were identified. 
The agency determined that glyphosate is not carcinogenic to humans. 
Potential ecological risks were identified for terrestrial and aquatic 
plants, birds, and mammals, primarily from exposure to spray drift. To 
ensure pollinators and their habitat are adequately protected from 
glyphosate, EPA included an evaluation of risk to pollinators and 
milkweed in the ecological risk assessment. Available data (laboratory 
and field-based) indicate no risk to pollinators. EPA is taking steps 
to protect pollinators and their habitat. In its proposed interim 
registration review decision for glyphosate, EPA is proposing spray 
drift management measures (e.g., release height, droplet size, and wind 
speed restrictions) to reduce off-site exposure to non-target wildlife. 
EPA is also proposing weed resistance management labeling (e.g., 
information on mode of action, scouting instructions, and reporting 
instructions for weed resistance) to preserve glyphosate as a valuable 
tool for growers.
    The documents in the docket describe EPA's rationales for 
conducting risk assessments for the registration review of glyphosate, 
as well as the Agency's subsequent risk findings and consideration of 
possible risk mitigation measures. This proposed interim registration 
review decision is supported by the rationales included in those 
documents. Following public comment, the Agency will issue interim or 
final registration review decisions for glyphosate.
    The registration review final rule at 40 CFR 155.58(a) provides for 
a minimum 60-day public comment period on all proposed interim 
registration review decisions. This comment period is intended to 
provide an opportunity for public input and a mechanism for initiating 
any necessary amendments to the proposed interim registration review 
decision. All comments should be submitted using the methods in 
ADDRESSES and must be received by EPA on or before the closing date. 
These comments will become part of the docket for glyphosate. Comments 
received after the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' 
EPA is not required to consider these late comments.
    The Agency will carefully consider all comments received by the 
closing date and may provide a ``Response to Comments Memorandum'' in 
the docket. The interim registration review decision will explain the 
effect that any comments had on the interim decision and provide the 
Agency's response to significant comments.
    Background on the registration review program is provided at: 
http://www.epa.gov/pesticide-reevaluation.

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

    Dated: April 24, 2019.
Charles Smith,
Acting Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2019-09222 Filed 5-3-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P