[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 3, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 10290-10293] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-5243] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [OPP-00582; FRL-6059-1] Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Section 29 Annual Report on Conditional Registrations; Renewal of Pesticide Information Collection Activities and Request for Comments AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that EPA is seeking public comment on the following Information Collection Request (ICR): ``Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Section 29 Annual Report on Conditional Registrations'' (EPA ICR No. 0601.06, OMB No. 2070-0026). This ICR involves a collection activity that is currently approved. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection activity and its expected burden and costs. Before submitting this ICR to the [[Page 10291]] Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval under the PRA, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the collection. DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 3, 1999. ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, electronically, or in person. Please follow the detailed instructions for each method as provided in Unit III. of this document. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cameo Smoot, Office of Pesticide Programs, Mail Code 7506C, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460, Telephone: 703-305-5454, Fax: 703-305-5884, e-mail: [email protected]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Does This Notice Apply to Me? You may be potentially affected by this notice if you are a pesticide registrant with a conditional pesticide registration or you have submitted an application for a conditional registration of your product. EPA may issue conditional registrations for pesticides containing an active ingredient not contained in any currently registered pesticide for a period reasonably sufficient for the generation and submission of data. By law, on an annual basis, EPA must report to Congress by February 16 of each year the total number of conditional registrations and applications for conditional registration the Agency has considered pursuant to section 3(c)(7)(B) and 3(c)(7)(C) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). While most of the data for the reporting requirement is obtained from Agency files, information related to the production volume of a pesticide product must be collected from the registrants. Potentially affected categories and entities may include, but are not limited to the following: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Examples of Potentially Category NAICS Code SIC Codes Affected Entities ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pesticide and other agricultural 325320 286--Industrial Pesticide registrants chemical manufacturing organic chemicals holding a conditional registration or applicants for a conditional pesticide registration 287--Agricultural chemicals ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This table 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 table could also be affected. You or your business are affected by this action if you have a conditional pesticide registration with the Agency. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the technical person listed in the ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT'' section. II. How Can I Get Additional Information or Copies of This Document or Other Support Documents? A. Electronic Availability Electronic copies of this document and the ICR are available from the EPA Home Page at the Federal Register - Environmental Documents entry for this document under ``Laws and Regulations'' (http:// www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/). You can easily follow the menu to find this Federal Register notice using the publication date or the Federal Register citation for this notice. Although a copy of the ICR is posted with the Federal Register notice, you can also access a copy of the ICR by going directly to http://www.epa.gov/icr/. You can then easily follow the menu to locate this ICR by the EPA ICR number, the OMB control number, or the title of the ICR. B. Fax-on-Demand Using a faxphone call 202-401-0527 and select item 6059 for a copy of the ICR. C. In Person or By Phone If you have any questions or need additional information about this notice or the ICR referenced, please contact the person identified in the ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT'' section. In addition, the official record for this notice, including the public version, has been established for this notice under docket control number OPP-00582 (including comments and data submitted electronically as described below). A public version of this record, including printed, paper versions of electronic comments, which does not include any information claimed as Confidential Business Information (CBI), is available for inspection in the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Public Docket, Rm. 119, CM #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The OPP Public Docket telephone number is 703-305-5805. III. How Can I Respond to This Notice? A. How and to Whom Do I Submit the Comments? You may submit comments through the mail, in person, or electronically. Be sure to identify the appropriate docket control number, OPP-00582, in your correspondence. 1. By mail. Submit written comments to: OPP Public Docket, Public Information and Records Integrity Branch, Information Resources and Services Division (7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. 2. In person or by courier. Deliver written comments to: OPP Public Docket, Public Information and Records Integrity Branch, Rm. 119, CM #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA, Telephone: 703-305- 5805. 3. Electronically. Submit your comments and/or data electronically by e-mail to: [email protected]. Please note that you should not submit any information electronically that you consider to be CBI. Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Comment and data will also be accepted on disks in WordPerfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII file format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by the docket control number OPP-00582. Electronic comments on this notice may also be filed online at many Federal Depository Libraries. B. How Should I Handle CBI Information that I Want to Submit to the Agency? You may claim information that you submit in response to this notice as CBI by marking any part or all of that information as CBI. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. A copy of the comment [[Page 10292]] that does not contain CBI must also be submitted for inclusion in the public record. Information not marked confidential will be included in the public docket by EPA without prior notice. If you have any questions about CBI or the procedures for claiming CBI, please consult with the technical person listed in the ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT'' section. C. What Information is EPA Particularly Interested in? Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically solicits comments and information to enable it to: 1. Evaluate whether the proposed collections of information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility. 2. Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimates of the burdens of the proposed collections of information. 3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected. 4. Minimize the burden of the collections of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated or electronic collection technologies or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. D. What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA? We invite you to provide your views on the various options we propose, new approaches we haven't considered, the potential impacts of the various options (including possible unintended consequences), and any data or information that you would like the Agency to consider during the development of the final action. You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your comments:Explain your views as clearly as possible. Describe any assumptions that you used. Provide solid technical information and/or data to support your views. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you arrived at the estimate. Tell us what you support, as well as what you disagree with. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns. Offer alternative ways to improve the rule or collection activity. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline in this notice. At the beginning of your comments (e.g., as part of the ``Subject'' heading), be sure to properly identify the document you are commenting on. You can do this by providing the docket control number assigned to the notice, along with the name, date, and Federal Register citation, or by using the appropriate EPA or OMB ICR number. IV. What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Notice Apply to? EPA is seeking comments on the following ICR: Title: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Section 29 Annual Report on Conditional Registrations. ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 0601.06, OMB No. 2070-0026. ICR status: This ICR is currently scheduled to expire on June 30, 1999. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control numbers for EPA's information collections appear on the collection instruments or instructions, in the Federal Register notices for related rulemakings and ICR notices, and, if the collection is contained in a regulation, in a table of OMB approval numbers in 40 CFR part 9. Abstract: EPA is responsible for the regulation of pesticides as mandated by FIFRA. FIFRA section 29 requires the EPA Administrator to submit an annual report to Congress before February 16 of each year. The section 29 report is to include the total number of applications for conditional registration under section 3(c)(7)(B) and 3(c)(7)(C) of the FIFRA Act that were filed during the previous fiscal year, and, with respect to those applications approved, the Administrator's findings in each case, the conditions imposed and any modification of such conditions in each case, and the quantities produced of such pesticides. The information collected under this ICR is the annual pesticide product production volume data. While there are no forms associated with this information collection activity, as one of the requirements of conditional registration, registrants are required to submit an annual report to the EPA on the amount (gallons or pounds) of the pesticide product produced during the preceding fiscal year for each registered use. Each October, EPA assembles all available information on conditional registrations filed with the Agency during the previous fiscal year. Registrants with conditional registrations generally submit the required information automatically. However, if the production volume data has not been received within 30 days of the due date, then EPA contacts registrants by fax or phone to request this information. When all the data is collected, EPA prepares a section 29 report that includes: The number of conditional registrations, their conditions of registration, any changes in conditional registration status or conditions, and the conditionally registered pesticide production volume data. The report also identifies those conditional registrations that have been canceled or that have attained full registration and other administrative changes. V. What are EPA's Burden and Cost Estimates for This ICR? Under the PRA, ``burden'' means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal Agency. For this collection it includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information. The ICR provides a detailed explanation of this estimate, which is only briefly summarized in this notice. The annual public burden for the section 29 reporting information collection is estimated to average 1.4 hours per response. The following is a summary of the estimates taken from the ICR: Respondents/affected entities: Pesticide registrants with conditional registrations. Estimated total number of potential respondents: 30. Frequency of response: Annually. Estimated total/average number of responses for each respondent: 2. Estimated total annual burden hours: 84. Estimated total annual burden costs: $6,612. VI. Are There Changes in the Estimates from the Last Approval? The registrant burden estimate for this information collection has remained at 84 hours per year with the number of respondents reporting and number of conditional registrations each remaining [[Page 10293]] the same. The individual burden per product for reporting has remained constant at 1.4 hours, while the burden per registrant has remained constant at 2.8 hours with two products per registrant. VII. What is the Next Step in the Process for This ICR? EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. EPA will issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the person listed in the ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT'' section. List of Subjects Environmental protection, Information collection requests. Dated: February 18, 1999. Susan H. Wayland, Acting Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances. [FR Doc. 99-5243 Filed 3-2-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-F