[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 191 (Wednesday, October 3, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56344-56346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-19448]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0328; FRL-8149-8]
Guidance on Recommended Environmental Hazard Statements for
Outdoor Residential Pesticides; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Agency seeks public comment on a draft Pesticide
Registration (PR) Notice entitled ``Environmental Hazard Statements for
Outdoor Residential Pesticides''. The proposed guidance is directed
toward current or prospective registrants of outdoor residential use
pesticides on recommended environmental hazard language. This guidance
recommends new environmental hazard statements that are designed to
replace language created for agricultural products with statements that
are easier for consumers to understand. The new environmental hazard
statements are divided by product type (e.g., liquid ready-to-use,
broadcast granular), and recommends specific language for each product
type to minimize risks to the human health and the environment, with
emphasis on reducing risks to water. Revisions to product labels using
these new statements may be made by notification.
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DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 2, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-0328 by one of the
following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public
Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P),
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South
Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The
Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2007-0328. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the docket without change and may be made available on-line at
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The Federal regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access''
system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you
send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through
regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is placed in the docket and made
available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA
recommends that you include your name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot
contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters,
any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index
available in regulations.gov. To access the electronic docket, go to
http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Advanced Search,'' then ``Docket
Search.'' Insert the docket ID number where indicated and select the
``Submit'' button. Follow the instructions on the regulations.gov web
site to view the docket index or access available documents. Although
listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g.,
CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on
the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form.
Publicly available docket materials are available either in the
electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only available
in hard copy, at the OPP Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One
Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The
hours of operation of this Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The Docket
Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Roelofs, Field and External
Affairs Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (703) 308-2964; fax number: (703) 308-1850; e-
mail: [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 required
to register, regulate, or label pesticides, 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 information in
this notice, 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 e-mail. 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 accordance with
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
2. Tips for preparing your comments. When submitting comments,
remember to:
i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying
information (subject heading, Federal Register date, and page number).
ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and
substitute language for your requested changes.
iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information
and/or data that you used.
v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be
reproduced.
vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and
suggest alternatives.
vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of
profanity or personal threats.
viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period
deadline identified.
3. Specific questions for comment. i. The proposed statements are
intended to give clear, practical instructions for the ordinary
consumer, and to state a reason for following the instructions. Are
there terms in the statements that are ambiguous or subject to
interpretation, which could potentially confuse an untrained user?
ii. Three of the four categories (liquid concentrate, dust, and
liquid ready-to-use) should not be applied in winds that would cause
the product to drift to unintended areas. Since a home user can not be
presumed to have any means of knowing actual wind speed at the time of
application, what directions regarding wind would be most helpful?
a. The proposed environmental hazard statement to minimize the
potential for drift reads: ``[Do not] apply when wind is strong enough
to carry spray away from treatment area.'' Is that a clear, practical
instruction?
b. The alternative statement to minimize drift incorporates the
Beaufort scale (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/beaufortland.html). The Beaufort scale a system for
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estimating wind strengths without the use of instruments. For wind
speeds that could affect application of residential products, the
visual effects according to the Beaufort scale for a moderate breeze of
13 to18 miles per hour would be that small branches on trees are
moving. Is this a practical indicator of when not to use a product? Is
the phrase ``Do not apply when wind is strong enough to move small
branches on trees, as wind will carry spray away from treatment area''
preferable to ``Do not apply when wind is strong enough to carry spray
away from treatment area''?
II. What Action is the Agency Taking?
EPA is recommending that registrants of outdoor residential use
pesticides revise Environmental Hazard Statements on product labels.
This action is voluntary and may be done through notification. As this
is voluntary, no Agency action will be taken.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure,
Environmental Hazard Statements, Pesticides and pest Residential.
Dated: September 25, 2007.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E7-19448 Filed 10-2-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S