Voluntary Cancellation of Certain Pesticide Registrations

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-64040; FRL-6061-9]

Voluntary Cancellation of Certain Pesticide Registrations

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

ACTION: Notice of receipt of requests to terminate uses.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with section 6(f)(1) of the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended, EPA is issuing a

notice of receipt of requests from several registrants to amend their

registrations to terminate some or all uses for certain products. These

requests for voluntary cancellation have been received by the EPA in

response to the reregistration eligibility evaluation of these

individual pesticide registrations.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 2, 1999.

ADDRESSES: By mail, submit comments to: Public Information and Records

Integrity Branch, Information Resources and Services Division (7502C),

Office of Pesticide Programs, 401 M St., SW., Washington, DC 20460. In

person deliver comments to Rm. 119, Crystal Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson

Davis Highway, Arlington VA.

Comments may also be submitted electronically by sending electronic

mail (e-mail) to: [email protected].

Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the

use of special characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data

will also be accepted on disks in Wordperfect 5.1/6.1 or ASCII file

format. All comments and data must be identified by docket number [OPP-

64040]. No Confidential Business

[[Page 10297]]

Information (CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. Electronic

comments on this notice may be filed online at many Federal Depository

Libraries. Additional information on submissions can be found below in

this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By mail:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Office location

Product Manager Pesticide for mail and Telephone number e-mail address

Special Courier

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jill Bloom...................... Chlorothalonil Special Review and

Reregistration

Division,

(7508C), Office

of Pesticide

Programs, U.S.

Environmental

Protection

Agency, 401 M

St., SW.,

Washington, DC

20460..

(703) 308-8019 [email protected]

Phil Budig..................... Dicofol Do................ (703) 308-8029 [email protected]

.epa.gov

Dennis Deziel.................. Iprodione Do................ (703) 308-8173 [email protected]

ail.epa.gov

Anne Overstreet................. Propachlor Do................ (703) 308-8068 [email protected]

amail.epa.gov

Kathleen Meier.................. Vernolate Do................ (703) 308-8017 [email protected]

mail.epa.gov

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background Information

The EPA is publishing a single notice in response to registrants

requests to cancel some or all product registrations for:

chlorothalonil, dicofol, iprodione, propachlor, and vernolate. See

table below for specific information regarding the cancellation

requests.

The EPA has completed the Reregistration Eligibility Decisions

(REDs) for dicofol, iprodione, propachlor, and chlorothalonil. The EPA

examined potential risk concerns and identified additional data

requirements and/or mitigation measures where applicable. The

registrants of these chemicals preferred to cancel certain products or

uses rather than generating additional data or implementing certain

mitigation measures. The Agency is announcing its intent to cancel

certain products or uses as requested by the technical registrants. The

EPA will consider any comments received as a result of this notice

along with comments received during the public comment period on the

individual REDs. In the case of vernolate, a Reregistration Eligibility

Decision was not issued, however, the registrants have requested

voluntary cancellation of the technical and all end use registrations.

II. Requests Made to Amend Registrations

As discussed above, this notice seeks public comment of requests to

voluntarily cancel certain or all uses for five pesticides. The table

below provides specific information regarding the dates requested for

registration amendments, details, terms and conditions under which

existing stocks may continue to be used.

6F Notice for Voluntary Cancellation of the Following Chemicals

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Products Existing stocks

Chemical PC Code Company Name & Nature of action Products cancelled (if provisions for Comments

Address affected any) registrants

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chlorothalonil................. 081901 GB Biosciences Home Lawn Use 50524-24 None February 1, 2000 The registrants

Corp., 1800 deletion are voluntarily

Concord Place, 50524-07 cancelling the

P.O. Box 15458, 50524-09 home lawn use of

Wilmington, DE 50524-04 this fungicide

19858 50524-195 to address the

50524-202 Agency's concern

50524-207 about potential

50524-209 post-application

50524-211 exposure to

50524-216 toddlers around

50524-221 the home.

50524-222

............................. Do. Sostram Do. 60063-01 Do. Do.

Corporation, 70 60063-03

Mansell Court, 60063-05

Suite 230, 60063-07

Roswell, GA 60063-09

60063-10

[[Page 10298]]

Dicofol........................ 010501 Rohm and Haas Residential Turf 707-201 None February 1, 2000 Residential turf

Company, 100 and Ornamentals 707-202 was deleted from

Independence Mall use deletion 707-203 the label in

West, 707-204 August, 1997. On

Philadelphia, PA 707-205 August 13, 1998,

19106 707-229 the registrant

requested a

label amendment

which would

prohibit the use

of the dicofol

technical (EPA

Reg. No. 707-203

for formulation

into a product

intended for use

on residential

lawns or

ornamentals thus

cancelling all

residential

uses. This label

amendment was

submitted in

November, 1998.

Iprodione...................... 109801 Rhone-Poulenc Ag, All Residential 264-453 None February 1, 2000. Cancel all

Co., Box 12014, Uses; deletion 264-480 residential

Research Triangle Herbaceous 264-481 uses. These

Park, NC 27709. Ornamental Seed 264-482 include:

Treatment use 264-483 residential

deletion. 264-524 ornamental

264-527 usesresidential

264-532 turf uses, and

264-562 residential uses

264-563 on vegetable/

264-571 small fruit

538-159 gardens. FR

538-182 Notice of

538-183 Availability for

538-194 Iprodione RED

538-217 was published

9779-350 December 4, 1998

9779-351 (63 FR 67066).

Propachlor..................... 019101 Monsanto Company, Dry Flowable 524-423 Ramrod/Atrazine June 30, 2000 Cancel the dry

700 14th Street, product deletion. formulation. flowable

NW., Washington, formulation.

D.C. 20005. Propachlor is a

pre-emergent

herbicide

applied once per

year. Registrant

discontinued

production in

August, 1998.

Vernolate...................... 041404 Zeneca Ag Technical and all 10182-257 Vernam 7-E February 1, 2000. Cancel technical

Products, P.O. End Use Products (tech) Selective and all end use

Box 15458, deleted. 10182-169 Herbicide products

Wilmington, DE 10182-221 Vernam. containing the

19850 Drexel active

Chemical Co., ingredient

1700 Channel vernolate.

Avenue, P.O. Box

13327 Memphis, TN

38113.

............................. Do. Drexel Chemical Do. 19713-255 10-G Selective Do. Do.

19713-259 Herbicide Vernam

Technical

Herbicide.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Terminations Pursuant to Voluntary Requests

Under section 6(f)(1) of FIFRA, registrants may request at any

time that ``a pesticide registration of the registrant be canceled or

amended to terminate one or more pesticide uses.'' (7 U.S.C.

136d(f)(1)). Consistent with 6(f)(1) of FIFRA, EPA is publishing this

notice of receipt of these requests for voluntary cancellation and

allowing 30 days for public comment on the proposed cancellations

including the existing stocks provisions. For chemicals with product

cancellations affecting minor uses, (i.e., iprodione), the registrant

has requested that the Agency complete the voluntary cancellation on a

schedule consistent with the RED. Absent adverse public comment, the

Agency intends to proceed with the voluntary cancellation in parallel

with the final issuance of the RED.

IV. Notification of Intent to Revoke Tolerances (applies to

Vernolate only)

This Notice also serves as an advance notification that the Agency

will revoke the related tolerances following the cancellation of the

uses listed in this Notice, unless there is a request from the public

to support the tolerance for

[[Page 10299]]

import purposes. It is EPA's general practice to propose revocation of

tolerances for residues of pesticide active ingredients for which FIFRA

registrations no longer exist, to protect the food supply of the U.S.

and to discourage the misuse of pesticides within the United States. In

many cases the cancellation of a food use in the U.S. indicates that

there are insufficient domestic residue data or other information to

support the continuation of the tolerance and an uncertain amount of

relevant data concerning residues on imported food. In the absence of

relevant data, EPA is unable to make a safety finding regarding the

treated food entering the U.S. Interested parties should notify the

Agency as soon as possible of the implications on imported food

resulting from revocation of the vernolate tolerance, and of their

intent to support the tolerance for the canceled use by responding to

this Notice. Upon receipt of such notification, EPA will provide

interested parties with its import tolerance policy and data

requirements, explaining how an interested party should go about

retaining a tolerance for import purposes.

V. Procedures for Withdrawal of Request

To withdraw a request for use cancellation, registrants must submit

such withdrawal in writing to the appropriate Chemical Review Manager,

at the address given above. Any request to withdraw a use cancellation

must be postmarked no later than April 2, 1999.

VI. Proposed Acceptance of Use Termination and Existing Stocks

Provision

EPA proposes to accept the registrants' request for amendment to

terminate some or all registered uses listed in the Table. It is EPA's

general practice to accept registrant's requests for cancellation of

registrations or specific registered uses.

Notice of the request for cancellation is published primarily for

the purpose of alerting affected parties so that they may either

attempt to convince the registrant to maintain the registration or

apply to register the product themselves. EPA proposes to approve these

cancellations expeditiously after the close of the comment period

unless the registrant withdraws its request or a compelling reason

opposing termination is presented in public comments. If the requests

are granted, any use of the above mentioned chemicals would be

permitted only if the products are used in accordance with the terms

and conditions specified on the label.

EPA also proposes to accept the registrants' requests for existing

stocks provisions. Under FIFRA section 6(a)(1), EPA may permit the

continued sale and use of a canceled pesticide if such sale or use ``is

not inconsistent with the purposes of this Act.'' For each of the

chemicals listed in this notice: chlorothalonil, dicofol, iprodione,

propachlor, and vernolate, the Agency has concluded that the limited

short-term continued use of these pesticides, when used in accordance

with the label, will not result in unreasonable risk or adverse effects

to human health or the environment.

If the EPA grants any or all of the requested cancellations, it is

likely that the Agency will establish an existing stocks provision

consistent with the following schedule. The distributors of products

containing the active ingredients, as listed in the Table, will be

permitted to sell or distribute all remaining inventory for a period of

1 year past the existing stocks provision dates as requested by the

registrants (refer to the Table in Unit II of this document). The end-

users will then be allowed an additional year (for a total of 2 years

beyond the registrant requested date) for the use of existing stocks

for each of these chemicals.

VII. Public Comment Procedures

EPA invites interested parties to submit written comments on all

facets of this notice. Comments must be submitted by April 2, 1999.

Comments must bear a document control number. Three copies of the

comments should be submitted to either location listed under

``ADDRESSES'' at the beginning of this notice.

Information submitted as a comment may be claimed confidential by

marking any or all information as CBI. EPA will not disclose

information so marked, except in accordance with procedures set forth

in 40 CFR part 2. A second copy of such comments, with the CBI deleted,

also must be submitted for inclusion in the public record. EPA may

publicly disclose comments not marked confidential without prior

notification.

A record has been established for this notice under docket number

[OPP- 64040]. A public version of this record, including printed, paper

versions of electronic comments, which does not include any information

claimed as CBI, is available for inspection 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday

through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The public record is

available for inspection in Rm. 119 of the Public Information and

Records Integrity Branch, Information Resources and Services Division

(7502C), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency,

Crystal Mall #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington VA. Electronic

comments can be sent directly to EPA at:

[email protected].

Electronic comments must be submitted as an ASCII file avoiding the

use of special characters and any form of encryption. The official

version, as described above, will be kept in paper form. Accordingly,

EPA will transfer all comments received electronically into printed,

paper form as they are received electronically and will place paper

copies in the official record, which will also include all comments

submitted directly in writing. The official record is the paper record

maintained at the address in the ``ADDRESSES'' at the beginning of this

notice.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection, Agricultural commodities, Pesticides and

pests.

Dated: February 16, 1999.

Jack E. Housenger,

Acting Director, Special Review and Reregistration Division, Office of

Pesticide Programs.

[FR Doc. 99-5240 Filed 3-2-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-F