[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 214 (Wednesday, November 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70146-70147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24483]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0260; FRL-10010-13]


Pesticides; Draft Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on the List 
of Pests of Significant Public Health Importance

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
availability of and seeking public comment on a draft Pesticide 
Registration Notice (PR Notice) entitled, ``Draft List of Pests of 
Significant Public Health Importance--Revised 2020.'' PR Notices are 
issued by the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) to inform pesticide 
registrants and other interested persons about important policies, 
procedures, and registration related decisions, and serve to provide 
guidance to pesticide registrants and OPP personnel. This particular 
draft PR Notice provides guidance to the registrant concerning the 
proposal to update and replace the Pesticide Registration Notice (PRN) 
2002-1, which identifies pests of significant public health importance. 
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), United 
States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) determined that updating the list to reflect 
the current public health situation was warranted because vector-borne 
diseases and related research has changed significantly since the 
original PR Notice was published almost 20 years ago. This update 
includes the addition or removal of pests, new impacts, renaming pests, 
or grouping pests of similar species.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 4, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0260, through 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.
    Due to the public health concerns related to COVID-19, the EPA 
Docket Center (EPA/DC) and Reading Room is closed to visitors with 
limited exceptions. The staff continues to provide remote customer 
service via email, phone, and webform. For the information on EPA/DC 
services, submitting comments and docket access, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Jennings, Immediate Office 
(7506P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: 
(706) 355-8574; 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. Although this 
action may be of particular interest to those persons who are or may be 
required to conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal 
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), or FIFRA. 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 person 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 70147]]

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.

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

    A copy of the draft PR Notice is available in the docket, 
identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0260, at http://www.regulations.gov.

II. What guidance does this PR Notice provide?

    This draft PR Notice provides guidance to the registrant concerning 
the proposal to update and replace the Pesticide Registration Notice 
(PRN) 2002-1, which identifies pests of significant public health 
importance. The list was first published in 2002, fulfilling the 
requirement of FIFRA section 28(d) to identify pests of significant 
public health importance (see the original list: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-04/documents/pr2002-1.pdf). EPA, HHS and 
USDA believe that pests, diseases and control techniques have evolved 
since 2002. The list provides an interagency baseline for the federal 
government and the public to begin any discussions on government 
regulation and control of disease or disease vectors. EPA uses the list 
of pests of significant public health importance to develop and 
implement programs to improve and facilitate the safe and necessary use 
of chemical, biological and other methods to control pests of public 
health importance. When a pest is added to this list, it reflects a 
determination that the pest is a pest of significant public health 
importance and the list serves as a public reference to that effect. 
The publication of the updated list does not affect the regulatory 
status of any registration or application for registration of any 
pesticide product, therefore, registrants do not need to take any 
action.
    EPA requests comment on whether there are any pests, such as the 
Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) or the Turkestan cockroach 
(Blatta lateralis), that should be added to this list to address 
emergent pest issues.

III. Do PR Notices contain binding requirements?

    The PR Notice discussed in this document is intended to provide 
guidance to EPA personnel and decisionmakers and to pesticide 
registrants. While the requirements in the statutes and Agency 
regulations are binding on EPA and the applicants, this PR Notice is 
not binding on either EPA or pesticide registrants, and EPA may depart 
from the guidance where circumstances warrant and without prior notice. 
Likewise, pesticide registrants may assert that the guidance is not 
appropriate generally or not applicable to a specific pesticide or 
situation.

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

    Dated: October 30, 2020.
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2020-24483 Filed 11-3-20; 8:45 am]
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