[Federal Register: June 17, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 115)]
[Notices]
[Page 28700-28702]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jn09-56]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0855; FRL-8420-5]
Citric Acid; Antimicrobial Registration Review Final Work Plan
and Proposed Registration Review Decision; Notice of Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's final work
plan and proposed registration review decision for the pesticide citric
acid and opens a public comment period on the proposed decision.
Registration review is EPA's periodic review of pesticide registrations
to ensure that each pesticide continues to satisfy the statutory
standard for registration, that is, that the pesticide can perform its
intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on human health
or the environment. Through this program, EPA is ensuring that each
pesticide's registration is based on current scientific and other
knowledge, including its effects on human health and the environment.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 17, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0855, 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 Facility's normal hours of operation
[[Page 28701]]
(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-
2008-0855. 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 at http://www.regulations.gov. 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: For pesticide-specific information,
contact: Heather Garvie, Chemical Review Manager, Antimicrobials
Division (7510P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (703) 308-0034; fax number: (703) 305-5620; e-
mail address: garvie.heather@epa.gov.
For general information on antimicrobials in the registration
review program, contact: Diane Isbell, Antimicrobials Division (7510P),
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number:
(703) 308-8154; fax number: (703) 308-8481; e-mail address:
isbell.diane@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, farm worker, 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 appropriate 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?
Pursuant to 40 CFR 155.58, this notice announces the availability
of EPA's proposed registration review decision for the pesticide citric
acid (Registration Review Case 4024) and opens a 60-day public comment
period on the proposed decision. Citric acid is a food-contact and non-
food contact antimicrobial pesticide used in many products for
residential and public access premises (e.g., kitchen counter tops,
bathroom shower stalls, toilets, utensils, kitchen cutting boards,
diaper pails, changing tables, garbage cans, pet area, cafeterias, and
doctor's offices) and as a disinfectant fruit and vegetable wash,
sanitizer, virucide, and germicide. It is also an inert ingredient in
other pesticide products. In addition, citric acid is characterized by
low toxicity, is biodegradable, and is found extensively in nature.
The registration review docket for a pesticide includes earlier
documents related to the registration review of the case. For example,
the review opened with the posting of a summary document, containing a
preliminary work plan, for public comment. Because no comments were
received, and because the Agency required no further risk assessments
to complete registration review of this case, the final work plan and
proposed decision were combined into a single document.
The documents in the initial docket described the Agency's
rationales for
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not conducting additional risk assessments for the registration review
of citric acid. This proposed registration review decision continues to
be supported by those rationales included in documents in the initial
docket. Following public comment, the Agency will issue a final
registration review decision for products containing citric acid.
The registration review program is being conducted under
congressionally mandated time frames, and EPA recognizes the need both
to make timely decisions and to involve the public. Section 3(g) of the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as
amended, required EPA to establish by regulation procedures for
reviewing pesticide registrations, originally with a goal of reviewing
each pesticide's registration every 15 years to ensure that a pesticide
continues to meet the FIFRA standard for registration. The Agency's
final rule to implement this program was issued in August 2006 and
became effective in October 2006, and appears at 40 CFR part 155,
subpart C. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003 (PRIA)
was amended and extended in September 2007. FIFRA, as amended by PRIA
in 2007, requires EPA to complete registration review decisions by
October 1, 2022, for all pesticides registered as of October 1, 2007.
The registration review final rule at 40 CFR 155.58(a) provides for
a minimum 60-day public comment period on all proposed registration
review decisions. This comment period is intended to provide an
opportunity for public input and a mechanism for initiating any
necessary amendments to the proposed decision. 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
docket for citric acid. 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 and regulations.gov. The final registration review decision
will explain the effect that any comments had on the decision and
provide the Agency's response to significant comments.
Background on the registration review program is provided at:
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review. Links to earlier
documents related to the registration review of citric acid are
provided at: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/citric_
acid/index.htm.
B. What is the Agency's Authority for Taking this Action?
Section 3(g) of FIFRA and 40 CFR part 155, subpart C, provide
authority for this action.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure,
Antimicrobials, Citric acid, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: June 4, 2009.
Betty Shackleford,
Acting Director, Antimicrobials Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E9-14249 Filed 6-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S