[Federal Register: December 29, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 250)]
[Notices]
[Page 78430-78432]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29de06-71]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0694; FRL-8108-2]
n-Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride and Didecyl Dimethyl
Ammonium Chloride Reregistration Eligibility Decisions; Notice of
Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's Reregistration
Eligibility Decisions (REDs) for the pesticides n-Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl
Ammonium Chloride (ADBAC) and Didecyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride (DDAC)
and opens a public comment period on these documents. The Agency's risk
assessments and other related documents also are available in the ADBAC
and DDAC Dockets. ADBAC is an antimicrobial used in agricultural, food
handling, commercial, institutional, industrial, residential and public
access, medical settings and may be applied as a wood preservative.
DDAC is an antimicrobial used in indoor and outdoor hard surfaces,
eating utensils, laundry, carpets, agricultural tools and vehicles, egg
shells, shoes, milking equipment and udders, humidifiers, medical
instruments, human remains, ultrasonic tanks, reverse osmosis units,
water storage tanks and may be applied as a wood preservative. EPA has
reviewed ADBAC and DDAC through the public participation process that
the Agency uses to involve the public in developing pesticide
reregistration and tolerance reassessment decisions. Through these
programs, EPA is ensuring that all pesticides meet current health and
safety standards.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 27, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification ID
number, by one of the following methods: for ADBAC docket
identification ID number EPA-HQ- OPP-2006-0339; for DDAC docket
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ- OPP-2006-0338.
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 Drive, 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 telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
Instructions: Direct your comments to the following docket
identification numbers (ID): For ADBAC docket ID number EPA-HQ- OPP-
2006-0339; and for DDAC docket ID number EPA-HQ- OPP-2006-0338. 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 Web site 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.
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-
[[Page 78431]]
4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Drive, 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
telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For ADBAC, contact Jacqueline
Campbell-McFarlane, Antimicrobials Division (7510P), Office of
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-6416;
fax number: (703) 308-8481; e-mail address:
campbell-mcfarlane.jacqueline@epa.gov.
For DDAC, contact Tracy Lantz, Antimicrobials Division (7510P),
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number:
(703) 308-6415; fax number: (703) 308-8481; e-mail address:
lantz.tracy@epa.gov.
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. 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. 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.
II. Background
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
Under section 4 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is reevaluating existing pesticides to
ensure that they meet current scientific and regulatory standards. EPA
has completed Reregistration Eligibility Decisions (REDs) for the
pesticides, ADBAC and DDAC under section 4(g)(2)(A) of FIFRA. ADBAC is
an antimicrobial used in agricultural, food handling, commercial/
institutional/ industrial, residential and public access, medical
settings and may be applied as a wood preservative. DDAC is an
antimicrobial used in indoor and outdoor hard surfaces, eating
utensils, laundry, carpets, agricultural tools and vehicles, egg
shells, shoes, milking equipment and udders, humidifiers, medical
instruments, human remains, ultrasonic tanks, reverse osmosis units,
water storage tanks and may be applied as a wood preservative.
EPA has determined that the data base to support reregistration is
substantially complete and that products containing ADBAC and DDAC are
eligible for reregistration, provided the risks are mitigated either in
the manner described in the RED or by another means that achieves
equivalent risk reduction. Upon submission of any required product
specific data under section 4(g)(2)(B) and any necessary changes to the
registration and labeling (either to address concerns identified in the
RED or as a result of product specific data), EPA will make a final
reregistration decision under section 4(g)(2)(C) for products
containing ADBAC and DDAC.
EPA must review tolerances and tolerance exemptions that were in
effect when the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) was enacted in
August 1996, to ensure that these existing pesticide residue limits for
food and feed commodities meet the safety standard established by the
new law. Tolerances are considered reassessed once the safety finding
has been made or a revocation occurs. EPA has reviewed and made the
requisite safety finding for the ADBAC and DDAC tolerances included in
this notice.
EPA is applying the principles of public participation to all
pesticides undergoing reregistration and tolerance reassessment. The
Agency's Pesticide Tolerance Reassessment and Reregistration; Public
Participation Process, published in the Federal Register on May 14,
2004, (69 FR 26819)(FRL-7357-9) explains that in conducting these
programs, EPA is tailoring its public participation process to be
commensurate with the level of risk, extent of use, complexity of
issues, and degree of public concern associated with each pesticide.
Due to its uses, risks, and other factors, ADBAC and DDAC were reviewed
through the modified 4-Phase process. Through this process, EPA worked
extensively with stakeholders and the public to reach the regulatory
decisions for ADBAC and DDAC.
The reregistration program is being conducted under Congressionally
mandated time frames, and EPA recognizes the need both to make timely
decisions and to involve the public. The Agency is issuing the ADBAC
and DDAC REDs for public comment. This comment period is intended to
provide an additional opportunity for public input and a mechanism for
initiating any necessary amendments to the RED. All comments should be
submitted using the methods in ADDRESSES, and must be received by EPA
on or before the closing date. These comments will become part of the
Agency Docket for ADBAC and DDAC. Comments received after the close of
the comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not required to
consider these late comments.
The Agency will carefully consider all comments received by the
closing date and will provide a Response to Comments Memorandum in the
Docket
[[Page 78432]]
and regulations.gov. If any comment significantly affects the document,
EPA also will publish an amendment to the RED in the Federal Register.
In the absence of substantive comments requiring changes, the ADBAC and
DDAC REDs will be implemented as it is now presented.
B. 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. This review was completed by August 3, 2006.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests, Alkyl Dimethyl
Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (ADBAC), Didecyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride
(DDAC).
Dated: December 18, 2006.
Betty Shackleford,
Acting Director, Antimicrobials Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E6-22303 Filed 12-28-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S