[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 245 (Friday, December 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88609-88610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28211]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0476; FRL-11412-01-OCSPP]


Pesticide Registration Notice 2023-2; Establishment of the Vector 
Expedited Review Voucher (VERV) Program; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
availability of Pesticide Registration Notice (PR Notice) 2023-2, 
entitled ``Establishment of the Vector Expedited Review Voucher (VERV) 
Program.'' PR Notices are issued by the Office of Pesticide Programs 
(OPP) to inform pesticide registrants and other interested persons 
about important program policies, procedures, and registration related 
decisions, and serve to provide guidance to pesticide registrants and 
OPP personnel. This PR Notice establishes and describes the new VERV 
Program. The implementation of the VERV Program will incentivize the 
development of new insecticides to control and prevent the spread of 
vector-borne disease.

DATES: PR Notice 2023-2 is effective upon signature. Since the revised 
form is already approved and in use, all older versions of the form 
will not be accepted.

ADDRESSES: The docket for this action, identified by docket 
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0476, is available online at 
https://www.regulations.gov. Additional instructions for visiting the 
docket, along with more information about dockets generally, is 
available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Jennings, Office of Pesticide 
Programs (7501M), Environmental

[[Page 88610]]

Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (706) 355-8574; email address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general, although this PR 
Notice may be of particular interest to those persons who may seek a 
pesticide registration under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq. Since other entities may 
also be interested or affected based on future activities, the Agency 
has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that this PR 
Notice may apply to.

II. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?

    FIFRA section 4(k)(7), 7 U.S.C. 136a-1(k)(7), as established in an 
amendment to FIFRA contained in the Pesticide Registration Improvement 
Act of 2022 (PRIA 5).

III. What guidance does this PR Notice provide?

    As outlined in FIFRA section 4(k)(7), the Agency must establish the 
VERV Program by December 29, 2023, to incentivize development of new 
insecticides to control the spread of vector-borne disease to protect 
public health from mosquito born illnesses by granting vouchers for 
successfully registered products. If granted, the voucher may be 
redeemed to shorten the decision review time for a future pesticide 
application falling under certain specified PRIA categories. To achieve 
this, EPA is issuing PR Notice 2023-2 to establish the new VERV Program 
by providing guidance on applicable requirements and procedures for 
registrants to apply for, track, and redeem vouchers under the VERV 
Program.
    Specifically, the Agency has amended the current form used for 
pesticide registration applications by adding optional fields to allow 
pesticide registrants to apply for the voucher program and to redeem 
previously granted vouchers for expediated review. An optional check 
box was added to the registration form for both the initial voucher 
application and the application for which expedited review is sought. 
Registration applicants may also attach an explanation for their 
voucher request, that includes a description of the insecticide and 
public health impacts with other required information, electronically 
or by paper with the registration form. The Agency will review the 
voucher application and award the voucher if the application meets the 
requirements of FIFRA section 4(k)(7). If a voucher is granted, an 
applicant may redeem the voucher by choosing the expedited review 
option on the amended registration form.
    In addition, as specified in EPA regulations at 40 CFR 152.119(c), 
applicant-submitted information, including that provided on EPA Form 
No. 8570-1, entitled ``Application for Pesticide Registration/
Amendment,'' will, on request, be made available to the public for 
inspection after a pesticide product is registered. EPA has previously 
determined that none of the information that applicants provide on EPA 
Form No. 8570-1 is confidential business information (CBI) or otherwise 
protected under FIFRA. As such, the Agency is able to release the form 
in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 
U.S.C. 552 and EPA implementing regulations at 40 CFR 2.100.

IV. Do PR Notices impose binding requirements?

    The PR Notice discussed in this document is intended to provide 
guidance to EPA personnel and decisionmakers and to pesticide 
registrants. While requirements in statutes and Agency regulations are 
binding on EPA and pesticide registrants, the PR Notice does not impose 
new binding requirements on either EPA or pesticide registrants, and 
EPA may depart from the guidance presented in the PR Notice 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.

V. Is the revised form approved under the Paperwork Reduction Act 
(PRA)?

    According to the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., an agency may not 
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information that requires approval under the PRA, unless 
it has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and 
displays a currently valid OMB control number. This PR Notice does not 
create any paperwork burdens that require additional approval by OMB 
under the PRA because the information collection activities associated 
with EPA Form No. 8570-1 and the activities described in this PR Notice 
are already approved by OMB under OMB Control No. 2070-0226. The 
approved activities and related instruments are contained in the 
Information Collection Requests (ICR), entitled ``Consolidated 
Pesticide Registration Submission Portal'', identified as EPA ICR No. 
2624.02 and approved under OMB Control No. 2070-0226.
    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

    Dated: December 18, 2023.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2023-28211 Filed 12-21-23; 8:45 am]
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