[Federal Register: November 4, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 212)]
[Notices]
[Page 57168-57170]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04no09-66]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0825; FRL-8797-4]
Petition to Protect Children from Pesticide Drift; Notice of
Availability
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: On October 13, 2009, EPA received a petition from Earthjustice
and Farmworker Justice, on behalf of several other organizations,
requesting that the Agency systematically evaluate children's exposures
to pesticide drift and require interim prohibitions on the use of
certain pesticides near homes, schools, and other places where children
congregate. With this notice, the Agency is soliciting comments on the
petition. In a separate notice published elsewhere in this issue of the
Federal Register, the Agency is soliciting comments on a draft
Pesticide Registration (PR) notice providing guidance on pesticide
drift labeling (see www.regulations.gov, docket identification number
EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0628).
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 4, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments identified by the docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0825, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
[[Page 57169]]
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 (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 the docket ID number EPA-HQ-
OPP-2009-0825. 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: Jill Bloom, Chemical Review Manager,
Pesticide Re-evaluation Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8019; fax
number: (703) 308-7070; e-mail address: bloom.jill@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 chemical review manager 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.
3. Environmental justice. EPA seeks to achieve environmental
justice, the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of any group,
including minority and/or low income populations, in the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and
policies. To help address potential environmental justice issues, the
Agency seeks information on any groups or segments of the population
who, as a result of their location, cultural practices, or other
factors, may have atypical or disproportionately high and adverse human
health impacts or environmental effects due to pesticide drift,
compared to the general population.
II. Background
The October 13, 2009 petition can be found in the docket for this
notice. In summary, the petition asserts that the Agency does not
adequately consider the exposures of children to pesticide drift,
especially children who live in agricultural areas. The petitioners are
asking that the Agency assess pesticide-specific exposures from drift
to children in homes, schools, and other areas in which children
congregate; determine if such exposures pose excessive risks; and
implement measures to reduce any such risks. The petitioners further
request that the Agency immediately adopt specific interim restrictions
on certain pesticides used near areas where children congregate. Apart
from the petition, the Agency is engaged in a number of activities to
address pesticide drift, including the development of a PR
[[Page 57170]]
Notice with guidance on labeling to reduce exposures, including
exposures to children. The Agency's activities to address drift are
described in more detail in the document ``Draft PR Notice 2009-X:
Additional Information and Questions for Commenters'' (available at
www.regulations.gov, docket identification number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-
0628).
III. Process
A. What Action is the Agency Taking?
The Agency is soliciting public comment on the petition and opening
a docket for the collection of these comments. The Agency will consider
comments received during the public comment period when formulating its
response to the petition.
B. Information Submission Requirements
Anyone may submit comments in response to the petition, and the
docket for comments on the petition will remain publicly accessible
through the decision-making process. To be considered by the Agency,
the submitted comments must meet the following requirements:
Interested persons must submit their comments during the
comment period. The Agency may, at its discretion, consider comments
submitted at a later date.
The comments must be presented in a legible and useable
form. For example, an English translation must accompany any material
that is not in English and a written transcript must accompany any
information submitted as an audiographic or videographic record.
Written material may be submitted in paper or electronic form.
Submitters must clearly identify the source of any
submitted data or information included in their comments.
Submitters may request the Agency to reconsider data or
information that the Agency rejected previously. However, submitters
must explain why they believe the Agency should reconsider such data or
information.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Environmental Justice, Pesticides and
pests, Spray drift, Earthjustice, Farmworker Justice.
Dated: October 27, 2009.
Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.,
Director, Pesticide Re-evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs.
[FR Doc. E9-26595 Filed 11-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-S