[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6521-6522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01950]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0855; FRL-11667-01-OCSPP]


EPA Document in Support of the Paraquat Interim Registration 
Review Decision; Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In July 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the 
Agency) completed the Paraquat Dichloride Interim Registration Review 
Decision (Paraquat ID). The Paraquat ID finalized certain portions of 
EPA's analysis of paraquat's risks and benefits and determined that 
certain mitigation measures were necessary for paraquat to meet the 
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) standard 
for registration. In September 2021, the California Rural Legal 
Assistance Foundation, et al. (Petitioners) filed a Petition for Review 
of the Paraquat ID in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. 
As part of that litigation, EPA has further considered several 
substantive issues raised by the Petitioners in relation to the 
Paraquat ID, including concerns related to human health and EPA's 
balancing of risks and benefits. This document announces the 
availability of and solicits public comment on a document that presents 
EPA's preliminary reconsideration of the issues raised by Petitioners 
in relation to the Paraquat ID.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 1, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0855,

[[Page 6522]]

online through 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 and visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alex Hazlehurst, Pesticide Re-
Evaluation Division (7508M), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 566-2249; 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, 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.

B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI to EPA through email or 
https://www.regulations.gov. If you wish to include CBI in your 
comment, please follow the applicable instructions at https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets#rules and clearly mark the 
information that you claim to be CBI. 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 
comments, see the commenting tips at https://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html.

II. What action is the Agency taking?

    This notice announces the availability of a document outlining the 
Agency's preliminary reconsideration of the several issues identified 
by Petitioners in relation to the Paraquat ID. See California Rural 
Legal Assistance Foundation, et al. v. USEPA, Case No. 21-71287 (9th 
Cir.) Those issues include concerns raised about the Agency's 
assessment of whether paraquat poses a risk of Parkinson's Disease; its 
analysis of respiratory and dermal exposures, as well as exposures to 
direct and indirect paraquat drift; the analysis of benefits; the 
consideration of health-related costs; and the required balancing of 
paraquat's risks and benefits. This document, titled ``EPA'S 
Preliminary Supplemental Consideration of Certain Issues in Support of 
its Interim Registration Review Decision for Paraquat,'' is available 
in the docket at https://www.regulations.gov, under docket number EPA-
HQ-OPP-2011-0855.
    The Agency will review and consider all significant comments on 
this document that are submitted during the public comment period. 
Following EPA's consideration of those comments, EPA intends to issue a 
final document (or documents) by January 17, 2025, consistent with its 
obligations in the pending litigation.
    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

    Dated: January 25, 2024.
Edward Messina,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2024-01950 Filed 1-30-24; 11:15 am]
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