Methyl Bromide; Tolerance Reassessment and Risk Management
Decision for Methyl Bromide, and Reregistration Eligibility Decision
for Methyl Bromide's Commodity Uses; Extension of Comment Period
[Federal Register: September 29, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 189)]
[Notices]
[Page 57505-57506]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29se06-76]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0123; FRL-8095-9]
Methyl Bromide; Tolerance Reassessment and Risk Management
Decision for Methyl Bromide, and Reregistration Eligibility Decision
for Methyl Bromide's Commodity Uses; Extension of Comment Period
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: On August 9, 2006, EPA announced the availability of EPA's
Tolerance Reassessment and Risk Management Decision (TRED) for Methyl
Bromide, and Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for Methyl
Bromide's Commodity Uses, and opened a 60-day public comment period on
the document. This document announces the extension of the comment
period for an additional 45 days.
DATES: Comments, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-
HQ-OPP-2005-0123 must be received on or before November 24, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Follow the detailed instructions as provided under
ADDRESSES in the Federal Register document of August 9, 2006.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Weiss, Special Review and
Reregistration Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8293; fax
number: (703) 308-8005; e-mail address: weiss.steven@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
The Agency included in the earlier notice a list of those who may
be potentially affected by this action. If you have questions regarding
the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the
person listed under the 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.
C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?
To submit comments, or access the official public docket, please
follow the detailed instructions as provided in the ADDRESES Unit of
the August 9, 2006 Federal Register document. If you have questions,
consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
II. What Action is EPA taking?
This document extends the public comment period established in the
[[Page 57506]]
Federal Register issued on August 9, 2006 (71 FR 45546) (FRL-8083-1).
In that document, EPA announced the availability of EPA's Tolerance
Reassessment and Risk Management Decision (TRED) for Methyl Bromide,
and Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for Methyl Bromide's
Commodity Uses, and opened a public comment period on the document. EPA
is hereby extending the comment period, which was set to end on October
10, 2006 for an additional 45 days.
The reason for this extension is so the public can comment on the
buffer zone look-up table document that the Agency has placed in the
docket. This document contains buffer zone look up tables for treatment
and aeration periods that were described in the August 9, 2006 decision
document and that are based on information already available in the
docket. The Agency believes that providing the buffer zone document and
extending the comment period will ensure that stakeholders will have a
better understanding of the impacts of the decision document and will
be able to provide more informed comments for the Agency to consider.
In addition to providing the look-up tables in the docket, the
Agency has identified two issues that were included in supporting
documents but inadvertently omitted or not clearly articulated in the
decision document. The first issue was the omission of rates for
several uses in ``Table 2, Summary of Labeling Changes for Methyl
Bromide Fumigation.'' An updated version of the table is included in
the docket. The second issue was that the decision document states that
all buffer zone distances modeled with PERFUM were based on limiting
bystander exposure to 1 part per million (ppm) for an 8 hour time
weighted average (TWA). Although not stated in the decision document,
exposures of durations lasting more than 8 hours were based on limiting
exposures to 0.33 ppm for a 24-hour TWA. The reason for having two
different exposure limits is to match the most appropriate toxicity
endpoint to the expected duration of exposure.
III. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?
Section 4(g)(2) of FIFRA as amended directs that, after submission
of all data concerning a pesticide active ingredient, the Administrator
shall determine whether pesticides containing such active ingredient
are eligible for reregistration, before calling in product specific
data on individual end-use products and either reregistering products
or taking other ``appropriate regulatory action.'' Section 408(q) of
the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), 21 U.S.C. 346a(q),
requires EPA to review tolerances and exemptions for pesticide residues
in effect as of August 2, 1996, to determine whether the tolerance or
exemption meets the requirements of section 408(b)(2) or (c)(2) of FFDCA.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: September 25, 2006.
Debra Edwards,
Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of
Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E6-16063 Filed 9-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S