[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 130 (Monday, July 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38449-38450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15327]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0530; FRL-8372-8]
Potential Revision of the Product Performance Test Guidelines,
Structural Treatments; Notice of Public Meeting
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA will conduct a public workshop on termiticide performance
testing to discuss the potential revision of the OPPTS 810.3600 Product
Performance Testing Guidelines and information needed to revise the
testing guideline. Stakeholders have developed novel approaches to
termite treatment and developed new pesticide chemistries since the
adoption of the existing termiticide performance guideline. In response
to these developments, EPA is holding a public workshop and requesting
input on the relevance of the existing 810.3600 testing guideline scope
and factors to be included in a revision, the applicability of the
existing test guideline to novel product chemistries, and approaches to
resolve the disparity between soil applied liquid termiticide testing
guidelines and testing of other pesticides which may provide structural
protection. This input will inform EPA on a possible guideline
revision.
DATES: The meeting will be held on July 21, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. and July 22, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
To request accommodation of a disability, please contact the person
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably at least 10
days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to
process your request.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at Potomac Yard South Tower, 2777
South Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202
Requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket
identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0530, may be submitted to
the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Suarez, Registration Division
(7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone
number: (703) 305-0120; fax number: (703) 305-6920; e-mail address:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you manufacture
or use products intended to protect structures from termite damage,
have a financial investment in real property that could be devalued by
termite damage, or are involved in the construction of structures
susceptible to termite attack. Potentially affected entities may
include, but are not limited to:
Pesticide Manufacturing (NAICS code 325320), e.g., termite
poisons manufacturing; pesticides manufacturing; insecticides
manufacturing.
Mortgage and Non-mortgage Loan Brokers (NAICS code
522310), e.g., mortgage brokers; mortgage companies.
New Single-Family Housing Construction (except Operative
Builders) (NAICS code 236115), e.g., home builders (except operative),
single family home; Housing, single-family, construction general
contractors; residential construction, single-family, general
contractors.
Exterminating and Pest Control Services (NAICS code
561710), e.g., exterminating services; pest control (except
agricultural, forestry) services; termite control services.
New Housing Operative Builders (NAICS code 236117), e.g.,
operative builders; housing construction, merchant or operative
builders; .
Secondary Market Financing (NAICS code 522294), e.g.,
federal home loan mortgage corporation (FHLMC); federal national
mortgage association (FNMA); government national mortgage association
(GNMA).
All Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation (NAICS code
522298), e.g., federal home loan banks.
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (NAICS code 522310),
e.g., mortgage brokers, mortgage companies.
Wood Preservation (NAICS code 321114), e.g., preserving
purchased wood and wood products; pressure treated lumber made from
purchased timber; structural lumber and timber, treating.
This listing is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides
a guide for readers regarding entities likely to be affected by this
action. Other types of entities not listed in this unit could also be
affected. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS)
codes have been provided to assist you and others in determining
whether this action might apply to certain entities. To determine
whether you or your business may be affected by this action, you should
carefully examine the background information below and the Product
Performance Test Guidelines OPPTS 810.3600 Structural Treatments [EPA
712-C-98-424]. 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. How Can I Get Copies of this Document and Other Related Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established a docket for this action under
docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0530. 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 Office
of Pesticide Programs (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
[[Page 38450]]
holidays. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
2. Electronic access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register''
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr.
II. Background
Termites are a substantial economic threat to property owners.
Annually, $5 billion is spend to treat termite infestations and repair
the damage termites cause. In the United States, the major pestiferous
termites are subterranean termites (e.g., Reticulitermes spp. and
Coptotermes formosanus). Termites can cause substantial damage because:
1. They consume the primary materials used in construction; and
2. Their presence in a structure can go undetected for years. For
the most part, property owners are incapable of assessing the risk of
termite attack.
Pesticides intended to reduce the risk of termite infestation or
treat structures already infested are classified as termiticides.
Termiticides can be applied as a preventative or remedial treatment.
Preventative treatments are applied before an active termite
infestation is known to occur. Preventative treatments can be further
divided into two sub-categories: pre-construction and post-
construction. Pre-construction treatments are made prior to the
installation of the final grade during the construction process. Post-
construction treatments are made after the installation of the final
grade. In neither case are termites treated directly; instead, a long-
lasting, stable, relatively immobile chemical barrier (i.e., repellent
and/or lethal pesticide) is employed to exclude termites from the
structure by establishing horizontal and vertical barriers to termite
infestation. This approach generally has been successful, especially
when combined with removal of conditions conducive to termite
infestation. Remedial treatment generally involves treating the
infestation directly with a termiticide designed to both kill the
termites present at the time of application and exclude the rest of the
colony from the structure by establishing a chemical soil barrier.
The economic importance of termites and the complexities of proper
termiticide application have led to the special consideration of
termiticides at the time of registration. These products are unique in
that they provide relief or protection from a pest that can be
difficult to detect and treat. Furthermore, the biology of termites
(i.e., number of colony members, cryptic nature, and amount of material
consumed), the potential economic cost posed by damage resulting from a
termite infestation, and the inability to reliably determine the
effectiveness of a treatment at the time of application makes it
important to verify the performance of products labeled for structural
protection. Thus, it has been Agency policy that registrants
demonstrate in nationwide trials that products labeled as soil applied
liquid termiticides provide structural protection under simulated field
conditions for at least 5 years.
EPA is requesting comments at a public workshop on:
1. The relevance of the existing 810.3600 testing guideline scope
and factors to be included in a revision;
2. The applicability of the existing test guideline to novel
product chemistries; and
3. Approaches to resolve the disparity between soil applied liquid
termiticides and testing of other pesticides which may provide
structural protection.
III. How Can I Request to Participate in this Meeting?
You may submit a request to participate in this meeting to the
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not submit any
information in your request that is considered CBI. Requests to
participate in the meeting, identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2008-0530, must be received on or before July 21, 2008.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, pesticide, termite, structural
protection.
Dated: June 27, 2008.
Lois Rossi,
Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.q
[FR Doc. E8-15327 Filed 7-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S