82 FR 24113 - Registration Review; Neonicotinoid Risk Assessments; Summary Response to Comments, and Updated Neonicotinoid Work Schedule; Notice of Availability

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 100 (May 25, 2017)

This notice announces the availability of the aquatic ecological assessment for imidacloprid, the combined preliminary pollinator risk assessment for clothianidin and thiamethoxam, and the draft bee assessment for dinotefuran, and opens a public comment period on these three assessment documents. This notice also announces the availability of EPA's Registration Review Update for Four Neonicotinoid Insecticides. The Registration Review Update describes the next steps and information needs for the Agency's registration review of the neonicotinoids. This notice also announces the availability of a summary document that responds to certain comments received on the Preliminary Pollinator Assessment for imidacloprid, issued in January 2016. 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, 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 knowledge.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 100 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24113-24114]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10755]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2017-0011; FRL-9958-19]


Registration Review; Neonicotinoid Risk Assessments; Summary 
Response to Comments, and Updated Neonicotinoid Work Schedule; Notice 
of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the aquatic 
ecological assessment for imidacloprid, the combined preliminary 
pollinator risk assessment for clothianidin and thiamethoxam, and the 
draft bee assessment for dinotefuran, and opens a public comment period 
on these three assessment documents. This notice also announces the 
availability of EPA's Registration Review Update for Four Neonicotinoid 
Insecticides. The Registration Review Update describes the next steps 
and information needs for the Agency's registration review of the 
neonicotinoids. This notice also announces the availability of a 
summary document that responds to certain comments received on the 
Preliminary Pollinator Assessment for imidacloprid, issued in January 
2016. 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, 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 knowledge.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 24, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by the docket 
identification (ID) number for the specific pesticide of interested 
provided in Table 1 of Unit III., by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute.
     Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
    Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For pesticide specific information 
contact: The Chemical Review Manager for the pesticide of interest 
identified in Table 1 of Unit III.
    For general questions on the registration review program, contact: 
Richard Dumas, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), Office of 
Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8015; 
email address: [email protected].

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 identified in Table 1 of Unit III.

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 email. 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 preparing and submitting 
your comments, see the commenting tips at

[[Page 24114]]

http://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html.
    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 pesticides 
discussed in this document, compared to the general population.

II. Authority

    EPA is conducting its registration review of the chemicals listed 
in Table 1 of Unit III pursuant to section 3(g) of the Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Procedural 
Regulations for Registration Review at 40 CFR part 155, subpart C. 
Section 3(g) of FIFRA provides, among other things, that the 
registrations of pesticides are to be reviewed every 15 years. Under 
FIFRA, a pesticide product may be registered or remain registered only 
if it meets the statutory standard for registration given in FIFRA 
section 3(c)(5) (7 U.S.C. 136a(c)(5)). When used in accordance with 
widespread and commonly recognized practice, the pesticide product must 
perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on 
the environment; that is, without any unreasonable risk to man or the 
environment, or a human dietary risk from residues that result from the 
use of a pesticide in or on food.

III. Registration Reviews

    As directed by FIFRA section 3(g), EPA is reviewing the pesticide 
registration for the pesticides listed in Table 1 to ensure that they 
continue to satisfy the FIFRA standard for registration, that is, that 
these chemicals can still be used without unreasonable adverse effects 
on human health or the environment.

  Table 1--Chemicals for Which Assessments are Being Made Available for
                             Public Comment
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                                                      Chemical review
 Registration review case name   Docket ID number   manager and contact
          and number                                    information
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Clothianidin 7620.............  EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0  Ricardo Jones,
                                 865.               [email protected], 703-347-0493.
Dinotefuran 7441..............  EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0  Steven Snyderman,
                                 920.               [email protected], 703-347-0249.
Imidacloprid 7605.............  EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0  Ricardo Jones,
                                 844.               [email protected], 703-347-0493.
Thiamethoxam 7614.............  EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0  Thomas Harty,
                                 581.               [email protected]
                                                    , 703-347-0338.
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    Pursuant to 40 CFR 155.53(c), EPA is providing an opportunity, 
through this notice of availability, for interested parties to provide 
comments and input concerning the Agency's ecological assessments for 
the chemicals listed in Table 1. Such comments and input could address, 
among other things, the Agency's risk assessment methodology and 
assumptions applied to its draft risk assessments, such as its 
methodology for estimating colony-level risk to bees from exposure to 
bee bread. The Agency will then issue updated assessments, and address 
public comments.
    1. Other related information. Additional information on the 
registration review status of the chemicals listed in Table 1, as well 
as information on the Agency's registration review program and on its 
implementing regulation is available at http://www.epa.gov/pesticide-reevaluation.
    2. Information submission requirements. Anyone may submit data or 
information in response to this document. To be considered during a 
pesticide's registration review, the submitted data or information must 
meet the following requirements:
     To ensure that EPA will consider data or information 
submitted, interested persons must submit the data or information 
during the comment period. The Agency may, at its discretion, consider 
data or information submitted at a later date.
     The data or information submitted 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.
     Submitters may request the Agency to reconsider data or 
information that the Agency rejected in a previous review. However, 
submitters must explain why they believe the Agency should reconsider 
the data or information in the pesticide's registration review.
    As provided in 40 CFR 155.58, the registration review docket for 
each pesticide case will remain publicly accessible through the 
duration of the registration review process; that is, until all actions 
required in the final decision on the registration review case have 
been completed.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

    Dated: February 2, 2017.
Yu-Ting Guilaran,
Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2017-10755 Filed 5-24-17; 8:45 am]
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