[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70236-70237]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-28816]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0829; FRL-8850-7]
Hop Beta Acids; 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 regional request from
the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Idaho State Department
of Agriculture, and the Oregon Department of Agriculture to use hop
beta acids (CAS Reg. No. none specified) to treat up to 181,000 honey
bee colonies in the Pacific North West (PNW) to control varroa mites.
The applicants propose the use of a new chemical which has not been
registered by the 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 December 2, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2010-0829, 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 (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-
2010-0829. 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 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
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: Stacey M. Groce, Registration Division
(7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone
number: (703) 305-2505; fax number: (703) 605-0781; 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 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. 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.
[[Page 70237]]
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.
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 from exposure to the pesticide
discussed in this document, compared to the general population.
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 Washington Department
of Agriculture, Idaho State Department of Agriculture, and the Oregon
Department of Agriculture have requested the Administrator to issue a
specific exemption regional request for use of hop beta acids in honey
bee hives to control varroa mites. Information in accordance with 40
CFR part 166 was submitted as part of this request.
As part of this request, the applicants assert that the varroa mite
is a highly destructive pest and is having a catastrophic effect on
honey bee populations. The parasitic mite is considered the primary
pest of honeybees and its control is necessary for successful
beekeeping in the PNW. According to the applicants, the currently
available registered products no longer successfully control varroa
mites, because repeated use has contributed to widespread development
of mite resistance. Further, some of the alternative products have been
reported to cause bee mortality, have labeling limitations which make
them impractical for large beekeeping operations, or provide
inconsistent mite control. Varroa mite outbreaks are also associated
with colony viruses, which result in large colony losses.
The Applicants propose to make no more than three treatments per
year of two cardboard strips, coated with liquid product per brood
super, during the spring, summer and fall. Approximately 181,000 honey
bee colonies could be treated in all counties throughout Washington,
Idaho, and Oregon, requiring 2,172,000 strips for three treatments. The
total amount of hop beta acids applied would be 4,170 kilograms
(2,172,000 x 1.92 grams of hop beta acids per strip), which is
equivalent to 9,194 pounds, if all honey bee colonies in the PNW were
treated.
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 this
specific exemption regional request which proposes 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 Washington, Oregon, and Idaho Departments of
Agriculture.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: November 4, 2010.
Lois Rossi,
Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2010-28816 Filed 11-16-10; 8:45 am]
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