[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 88 (Friday, May 6, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27059-27060]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-09731]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 152
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2019-0701; FRL-7542-03-OCSPP]
RIN 2070-AK56
Pesticides; Proposal To Add Chitosan to the List of Active
Ingredients Permitted in Exempted Minimum Risk Pesticide Products;
Notice of Data Availability on Chitosan and Chitosan Salts
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notification of data availability.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the
availability of and soliciting comment on data related to the aquatic
toxicity of chitosan salts. The EPA seeks public comment on these data.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 6, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0766, through the Federal eRulemaking
Portal at https://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. Additional
instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more
information about dockets generally, is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
Due to the public health concerns related to COVID-19. The EPA
Docket Center (EPA/DC) and Reading Room is open to visitors by
appointment only. The staff continues to provide remote customer
service via email, phone, and webform. For the latest status
information on EPA/DC services and docket access, visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Smith, Director, Biopesticides
and Pollution Prevention Division (7511P), Office of Pesticide
Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; main telephone number: (703) 305-7090; email
address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
The EPA is making two aquatic toxicity reports, submitted by Tidal
Vision Products, LLC, available for public comment. The EPA seeks input
from stakeholders on how these reports may be used to inform the
Agency's assessment of the aquatic toxicity of chitosan and its salts.
On November 2, 2020, the EPA published ``Pesticides; Proposal to
Add Chitosan to the List of Active Ingredients Permitted in Exempted
Minimum Risk Pesticide Product,'' 85 FR 69307 (FRL-10009-24). The
proposed rule addressed the subject matter of a 2018 petition by Tidal
Vision Products LLC that requested that the substance commonly known as
chitosan (also known by its chemical name poly-D-glucosamine) (CAS Reg.
No. 9012-76-4) be added to the list of active ingredients allowed in
exempted minimum risk pesticide products under 40 CFR 152.25(f)(1).
Public comments on the proposed rule discussed these salts. The EPA
notes that chitosan may form as a salt (e.g., acetate, lactate,
hydrochloride, and salicylate) when it is solubilized in acids for end
use product formulation and subsequently applied in the environment.
The new information submitted by Tidal Vision pertains to these salts.
As authorized by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) section 25(b), the EPA has exempted from the
requirement of registration certain pesticide products if they are
composed of specified
[[Page 27060]]
ingredients (recognized active and inert substances which are listed in
the regulations) and labeled according to the EPA's regulations in 40
CFR 152.25(f). The EPA created the exemption for minimum risk
pesticides to eliminate the need for the Agency to expend significant
resources to regulate products that were deemed to be of minimum risk
to human health and the environment. Prior to submission of these
aquatic toxicity reports, the EPA received a petition from Tidal Vision
Products, LLC, requesting that the substance commonly known as chitosan
(also known by its chemical name poly-D-glucosamine) (CAS Reg. No.
9012-76-4) be added to the list of active ingredients allowed in
exempted minimum risk pesticide products under 40 CFR 152.25(f)(1).
This matter was the subject of a proposed regulation (85 FR 69307)
(FRL-10009-24).
The EPA is considering the information submitted by Tidal Vision in
its decision regarding whether to finalize the proposal to add chitosan
to the list of permitted active ingredients, and if so, whether and how
to address chitosan salts in the exemption.
II. References
The following is a listing of the documents that are specifically
referenced in this document. For assistance in locating these other
documents, please consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
1. Tidal Vision USA. (2019). Aquatic Toxicology Report by
Eurofins Environmental Testing Test America. Lab I.D. No. B4345.
Report Date: June 17, 2019. EPA Master Record Identification (MRID)
51861901.
2. Tidal Vision USA. (2019). Aquatic Toxicology Report by
Eurofins Environmental Testing Test America. Lab I.D. No. B4421.
Report Date: August 28, 2019. EPA Master Record Identification
(MRID) 51861902.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 152
Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure,
Agricultural commodities, Pesticides and pests, Reporting, and
recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: April 29, 2022.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2022-09731 Filed 5-5-22; 8:45 am]
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