[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 61 (Thursday, March 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19135-19137]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06571]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2022-0509; FRL-7661-02-OCSPP]
Notice of Approval Status; Certifying Authorities' Amended Plans
for Certification of Commercial and Private Applicators of Restricted
Use Pesticides; Batch Two
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its
approval of twelve amended certification plans for certifying
applicators of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs) from the following
certifying authorities: Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA),
Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CTDEEP),
Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA), District of Columbia
Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), Hawaii Department of
Agriculture (HDOA), Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
(MDAC), New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food
(NHDAFM), New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDEP), Nevada
Department of Agriculture (NDA), Office of the Indiana State Chemist
(OISC), South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
(SDDANR), and Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). The
amended plans are consistent with the existing regulatory requirements,
including revisions made in 2017 to enhance and improve the competency
of certified applicators of RUPs and persons working under their direct
supervision. The 2017 regulatory revisions are intended to further
reduce potential exposure of RUPs to certified applicators and those
working under their direct supervision, other workers, the public, and
the environment. Federal, state, territory, and tribal certifying
authorities with existing certification plans were required to revise
their existing plans to conform with the updated federal standards for
RUP applicator certification and receive EPA approval by the
established regulatory deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For technical information contact: The designated EPA point of
contact for the Certification Plan of interest as listed in Table 1 of
Unit I.B.
For general information contact: Carolyn Schroeder, Pesticide Re-
Evaluation Division (7508M), Office of
[[Page 19136]]
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 566-2376;
email address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you are a
federal, state, territory, or tribal agency who administers a
certification program for pesticides applicators. You many also be
potentially affected by this action if you are: A registrant of RUP
products; a person who applies RUPs, including those under the direct
supervision of a certified applicator; a person who relies upon the
availability of RUPs; someone who hires a certified applicator to apply
an RUP; a pesticide safety educator; or other person who provides
pesticide safety training for pesticide applicator certification or
recertification. The following list of North American Industrial
Classification System (NAICS) codes is not intended to be exhaustive,
but rather provides a guide to help readers determine whether this
document applies to them. Potentially affected entities may include:
Agricultural Establishments (Crop Production) (NAICS code
111).
Nursery and Tree Production (NAICS code 111421).
Agricultural Pest Control and Pesticide Handling on Farms
(NAICS code 115112).
Crop Advisors (NAICS codes 115112, 541690, 541712).
Agricultural (Animal) Pest Control (Livestock Spraying)
(NAICS code 115210).
Forestry Pest Control (NAICS code 115310).
Wood Preservation Pest Control (NAICS code 321114).
Pesticide Registrants (NAICS code 325320).
Pesticide Dealers (NAICS codes 424690, 424910, 444220).
Industrial, Institutional, Structural & Health Related
Pest Control (NAICS code 561710).
Ornamental & Turf, Rights-of-Way Pest Control (NAICS code
561730).
Environmental Protection Program Administrators (NAICS
code 924110).
Governmental Pest Control Programs (NAICS code 926140).
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. How can I get copies of these documents and other related
information?
For assistance in locating documents related to the approved plans
identified in this notice, please consult the designated EPA point of
contact for the Certification Plan of interest as listed in Table 1 of
this unit, or the general contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Table 1--Designated EPA Point of Contacts for the Certification Plans
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EPA point of
EPA region Certification plan contact POC phone Email
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Region 1...................... CTDEEP Robert Koethe.... (617) 918-1535 koethe.robert@ep
NHDAFM a.gov.
Region 2...................... NJDEP Tara Glynn....... (732) 906-6183 [email protected].
Region 3...................... DDA Courtenay (215) 814-2216 hoernemann.court
DOEE Hoernemann. [email protected].
Region 4...................... MDAC Richard Corbett.. (404) 562-9008 [email protected].
Region 5...................... OISC Donald (312) 886-7835 baumgartner.dona
Baumgartner. [email protected].
Region 8...................... SDDANR Blake Huff....... (303) 312-6718 [email protected].
Region 9...................... AZDA Katy Wilcoxen.... (415) 947-4205 wilcoxen.katy@ep
HDOA a.gov.
NDA
Region 10..................... WSDA Bethany Plewe.... (208) 378-5753 [email protected].
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II. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?
Section 11 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act
(FIFRA), 7. U.S.C. 136 et seq., requires certifying authorities to have
an EPA-approved certification plan to certify applicators of RUPs. The
Certification of Pesticide Applicators (CPA) regulation at 40 CFR part
171 was amended in 2017 (Ref. 1). As a result, federal, state,
territory, and tribal certifying authorities with existing
certification plans were required to revise their existing
certification plans to conform with the updated federal standards for
the certification of applicators of RUPs and submit their revisions to
EPA by March 2020 for EPA review and approval. The CPA regulation
specifies that the existing certification plans remain in place until
the revised plans are approved by EPA on or before the regulatory
deadline established in 40 CFR 171.5. The Agency has since issued a
final rule extending the original deadline for certification plans to
comply with the updated federal standards under the 2017 CPA rule to
November 4, 2023 (Ref. 2).
III. What action is the Agency taking?
This action gives notice that the following twelve certifying
authorities' certification plans submitted to the Agency meet or exceed
the standards of 40 CFR part 171: AZDA, CTDEEP, DDA, DOEE, HDOA, MDAC,
NDA, NHDAFM, NJDEP, OISC, SDDANR, and WSDA. EPA hereby gives notice
that the twelve amended certification plans for certifying applicators
of RUPs listed in this document are now approved plans; the certifying
authorities may certify pesticide applicators and continue with
implementation of the certification plans as outlined in the approved
plans.
These twelve plans represent the second in a series of batched
notifications announcing the approval of the federal, state, territory,
and tribal certification plans moving through the approval process.
These batched notifications will continue to occur on a regular basis
as plans are approved. EPA also provides frequent status updates
regarding the reviews and approvals of state and territory
certification plans on its website at https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/certification-standards-pesticide-applicators.
IV. References
The following is a list of documents that are related to the
issuance of this Notice. For assistance in locating these other
documents, please consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
1. EPA. Pesticides; Certification of Pesticide
[[Page 19137]]
Applicators; Final Rule. Federal Register. 82 FR 952, January 4,
2017 (FRL-9956-70).
2. EPA. Pesticides; Certification of Pesticide Applicators; Further
Extension to Expiration Date of Certification Plans; Final Rule.
Federal Register. 87 FR 50953, August 19, 2022 (FRL-9134.1-04-
OCSPP).
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136-136y.
Dated: March 24, 2023.
Mary Elissa Reaves,
Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2023-06571 Filed 3-29-23; 8:45 am]
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