[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69734-69736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29082]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0852; FRL-9325-8]
Streptomycin Sulfate; 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 Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to use the pesticide
streptomycin sulfate (CAS No. 3810-74-0) to treat up to 54,000 acres of
fresh-market grapefruit to control citrus canker (caused by the
bacteria Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. Citri (Xac)).
The applicant proposes a use of a pesticide which contains the
active ingredient, streptomycin sulfate, also used in humans and
animals as an antibiotic drug. EPA is soliciting public comment before
making the decision whether or not to grant the exemption.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 25, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0852 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-
2011-0852. 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
[[Page 69735]]
not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise
protected through regulations.gov or email. 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 email comment directly to EPA without
going through regulations.gov, your email 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: Andrea Conrath, Registration Division
(7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency,
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone
number: (703) 308-9356; fax number: (703) 605-0781 email address:
conrath.andrea@epa.gov.
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
www.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 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.
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(s) 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 Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has requested the
Administrator to issue a specific exemption for the use of streptomycin
sulfate on fresh-market grapefruit to control citrus canker.
Information in accordance with 40 CFR part 166 was submitted as part of
this request.
As part of this request, the applicant asserts that available
alternative controls cause phytotoxic effects when used during higher
temperatures, and therefore are not adequate to effectively control
citrus canker in grapefruit grown for the fresh market. The FDACS
claims that significant economic losses are occurring and that this
introduced pathogen has become a serious threat to the fresh-market
grapefruit industry in the state of Florida.
The Applicant proposes to make no more than two applications per
crop of streptomycin sulfate, at a rate of 0.448 lb active ingredient
per acre (a.i./A), equivalent to 2 lbs. formulated product per acre. A
maximum total of 0.896 lb a.i./Acre (4 lbs product/A) could be applied
on up to 54,000 acres of grapefruit in June through September of
[[Page 69736]]
2012. Use could potentially occur state-wide, but would primarily be in
the commercial grapefruit-producing counties of Polk, Hendry,
Highlands, De Soto, Hardee, St. Lucie, Indian River, Collier, Manatee
and Martin Counties. At maximum rates, applications, and acreage,
48,384 lbs of a.i. (216,000 lbs product) could be used under the
proposed program.
This notice does not constitute a decision by EPA on the
application itself. The regulations governing section 18 of FIFRA allow
for publication of a notice of receipt of an application for a specific
exemption if the Administrator determines that publication of a notice
is appropriate. The applicant proposes a use of a pesticide containing
streptomycin sulfate, which is also used in human and animal treatment
as an antibiotic. 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 Florida Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Pesticides and pests.
Dated: October 27, 2011.
Lois Rossi,
Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-29082 Filed 11-8-11; 8:45 am]
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