[Federal Register: January 23, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 15)]
[Notices]
[Page 3969-3970]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ja08-46]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1165; FRL-8346-2]
Chlorantraniliprole; Receipt of Application for Emergency
Exemption, Solicitation of Public Comment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA has received a specific exemption request from the
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry to use the pesticide
chlorantraniliprole (CAS No. 500008-45-7) to treat up to 160,000 acres
of rice to control rice water weevil.
The applicant proposes the use of a new chemical which has not been
registered by EPA. EPA is soliciting public comment before making the
decision whether or not to grant the exemption.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 7, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2007-1165, 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-
2007-1165. 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 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
website 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: Marcel Howard, Registration Division
(7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone
number: (703) 305-6784; fax number: (703) 605-0781; e-mail address:
howard.marcel@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 3970]]
I. General Information
A. Does this Action Apply to Me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you are an
agricultural producer, food manufacturer, or pesticide manufacturer.
Potentially affected entities may include, but are not limited to:
Crop production (NAICS code 111).
Animal production (NAICS code 112).
Food manufacturing (NAICS code 311).
Pesticide manufacturing (NAICS code 32532).
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 applicability provisions in Unit II. 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
http://www.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. What Action is the Agency Taking?
Under section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (7 U.S.C. 136p), at the discretion of the
Administrator, a Federal or State agency may be exempted from any
provision of FIFRA if the Administrator determines that emergency
conditions exist which require the exemption. The Louisiana Department
of Agriculture and Forestry has requested the Administrator to issue a
specific exemption for the use of chlorantraniliprole on rice seed to
control rice water weevil. Information in accordance with 40 CFR part
166 was submitted as part of this request.
As part of this request, the Applicant asserts that rice water
weevil infestations are becoming a severe pest problem in Louisiana.
The favorable climatic conditions, abundant native habitat, persistent
larvae population throughout growing season, and inadequate pest
management options against the larvae of rice water weevil have allowed
for the proliferation of this pest. In addition, the currently
registered insecticides most effective against rice water weevil are
highly toxic to crawfish, a major economic commodity of Louisiana co-
cultivated in rice fields or adjacent to them. The use of
chlorantraniliprole is justified by reference to the following factors:
(1) The severity of the rice water weevil as a pest of rice in
Louisiana; (2) the inadequacy of the insecticides currently registered
for use in rice against rice water weevil; (3) the expected reduced
negative impact on crawfish production; (4) efficacious demonstration
against the larvae of rice water weevil; and 5) the potential for
incidental control of minor, sporadic rice pests. Economic losses can
occur due to the removal of root tissue in young rice plants by the
larvae of rice water weevil, resulting in decreased grain yield at
harvest. The Applicant states that significant economic losses will be
suffered without the requested use.
The Applicant proposes to make no more than a single application of
chlorantraniliprole per acre, at seeding, on maximum of 160,000 acres
of rice in the state of Louisiana. Chlorantraniliprole will be applied
to rice seeds at certified seed treatment facilities only. The use
would begin after March 1, 2008 and end before August 1, 2008. A
maximum of 6,875 gallons of formulated product (32,320 lbs. active
ingredient) could be used under this exemption, if authorized.
This notice does not constitute a decision by EPA on the
application itself. The regulations governing section 18 of FIFRA
require publication of a notice of receipt of an application for a
specific exemption proposing use of a new chemical (i.e., an active
ingredient) which has not been registered by EPA. The notice provides
an opportunity for public comment on the application.
The Agency will review and consider all comments received during
the comment period in determining whether to issue the specific
exemption requested by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and
Forestry.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: January 4, 2008.
Daniel J. Rosenblatt,
Acting Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E8-875 Filed 1-22-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S