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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
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| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/193** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 2 June 2006       |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (06-2666)         |
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|                                                  |                   |
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| **Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade**     | Original: English |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with
Article 10.6.

+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Member to Agreement     |   |                                 |
| 1. | notifying:** [UNITED      |   |                                 |
| ** | STATES]{.underline}       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **If applicable, name of  |   |                                 |
|    | local government involved |   |                                 |
|    | (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):** |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Agency responsible:**   |   |                                 |
| 2. | Environmental Protection  |   |                                 |
| ** | Agency (EPA) (200)        |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Name and address        |   |                                 |
|    | (including telephone and  |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available) of** **agency  |   |                                 |
|    | or authority designated   |   |                                 |
|    | to handle comments        |   |                                 |
|    | regarding the             |   |                                 |
|    | notification shall be     |   |                                 |
|    | indicated if different    |   |                                 |
|    | from above:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Notified under Article  |   |                                 |
| 3. | 2.9.2 \[** **X** **\],    |   |                                 |
| ** | 2.10.1 \[ **  **\], 5.6.2 |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], 5.7.1        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], other:**     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (HS or |   |                                 |
| 4. | CCCN where applicable,    |   |                                 |
| ** | otherwise national tariff |   |                                 |
|    | heading. ICS numbers may  |   |                                 |
|    | be provided in addition,  |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Inorganic Bromide         |   |                                 |
|    | (HS Chapter: 3808; ICS:   |   |                                 |
|    | 13)                       |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Inorganic Bromide;        |   |                                 |
|    | Proposed Tolerance        |   |                                 |
|    | Actions (4 pages, in      |   |                                 |
|    | English)                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** EPA is         |   |                                 |
| ** | announcing that 12        |   |                                 |
|    | specific inorganic        |   |                                 |
|    | bromide tolerances have   |   |                                 |
|    | been reassessed and is    |   |                                 |
|    | proposing to revoke them  |   |                                 |
|    | because they are no       |   |                                 |
|    | longer needed. These 12   |   |                                 |
|    | tolerances are for        |   |                                 |
|    | residues of inorganic     |   |                                 |
|    | bromide from pre-plant    |   |                                 |
|    | (non-food) use in or on   |   |                                 |
|    | raw agricultural          |   |                                 |
|    | commodities grown in soil |   |                                 |
|    | fumigated with            |   |                                 |
|    | combinations of           |   |                                 |
|    | chloropicrin, methyl      |   |                                 |
|    | bromide, and propargyl    |   |                                 |
|    | bromide. Although methyl  |   |                                 |
|    | bromide is used as an     |   |                                 |
|    | agricultural pesticide,   |   |                                 |
|    | the Agency considers its  |   |                                 |
|    | application as a soil     |   |                                 |
|    | fumigant to be a non-food |   |                                 |
|    | use because it is quickly |   |                                 |
|    | degraded or metabolized   |   |                                 |
|    | in the soil, and          |   |                                 |
|    | subsequently incorporated |   |                                 |
|    | into natural plant        |   |                                 |
|    | constituents. Methyl      |   |                                 |
|    | bromide is also emitted   |   |                                 |
|    | to the atmosphere.        |   |                                 |
|    | Residues of the parent    |   |                                 |
|    | compound are not likely   |   |                                 |
|    | to be found in foods as a |   |                                 |
|    | result of prior treatment |   |                                 |
|    | of fields. While residues |   |                                 |
|    | of inorganic bromide may  |   |                                 |
|    | be present, these         |   |                                 |
|    | residues are              |   |                                 |
|    | indistinguishable from    |   |                                 |
|    | background because of     |   |                                 |
|    | inorganic bromide\'s      |   |                                 |
|    | ubiquity in the           |   |                                 |
|    | environment. In addition, |   |                                 |
|    | the Agency has concluded  |   |                                 |
|    | that inorganic bromide    |   |                                 |
|    | residue from such use is  |   |                                 |
|    | not of risk concern and   |   |                                 |
|    | has determined those      |   |                                 |
|    | twelve tolerances to be   |   |                                 |
|    | safe. Consequently, EPA   |   |                                 |
|    | is proposing to revoke    |   |                                 |
|    | them because no           |   |                                 |
|    | tolerances are needed for |   |                                 |
|    | those non-food uses and   |   |                                 |
|    | the Agency considers      |   |                                 |
|    | these tolerances to be    |   |                                 |
|    | reassessed. Furthermore,  |   |                                 |
|    | since methyl bromide,     |   |                                 |
|    | when applied as a         |   |                                 |
|    | pre-plant soil fumigant   |   |                                 |
|    | is a non-food use, it     |   |                                 |
|    | should be added as an     |   |                                 |
|    | entry to 40 CFR 180.2020  |   |                                 |
|    | noting the non-food use   |   |                                 |
|    | determination. The        |   |                                 |
|    | regulatory actions        |   |                                 |
|    | proposed in this document |   |                                 |
|    | contribute toward the     |   |                                 |
|    | Agency\'s tolerance       |   |                                 |
|    | reassessment requirements |   |                                 |
|    | under the Federal Food,   |   |                                 |
|    | Drug, and Cosmetic Act    |   |                                 |
|    | (FFDCA) section 408(q),   |   |                                 |
|    | as amended by the Food    |   |                                 |
|    | Quality Protection Act    |   |                                 |
|    | (FQPA) of 1996. By law,   |   |                                 |
|    | EPA is required by August |   |                                 |
|    | 2006 to reassess the      |   |                                 |
|    | tolerances that were in   |   |                                 |
|    | existence on 2 August     |   |                                 |
|    | 1996. The regulatory      |   |                                 |
|    | actions proposed in this  |   |                                 |
|    | document pertain to the   |   |                                 |
|    | proposed revocation of 12 |   |                                 |
|    | tolerances that count as  |   |                                 |
|    | tolerance reassessments   |   |                                 |
|    | toward the August 2006    |   |                                 |
|    | review deadline.          |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    | Protection of human       |   |                                 |
|    | health and the            |   |                                 |
|    | environment.              |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | 71 Federal Register (FR)  |   |                                 |
| ** | 30845 31 May 2006; Title  |   |                                 |
|    | 40 Code of Federal        |   |                                 |
|    | Regulations (CFR) Part    |   |                                 |
|    | 180. Will appear in the   |   |                                 |
|    | Federal Register when     |   |                                 |
|    | adopted.                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Proposed date of        |   | To be determined.               |
| 9. | adoption:**               |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Proposed date of entry  |   |                                 |
|    | into force:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for          |   |                                 |
| *1 | comments:** 31 July 2006  |   |                                 |
| 0. |                           |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Texts available from:   |   |                                 |
| *1 | National enquiry point    |   |                                 |
| 1. | \[** **X** **\] or        |   |                                 |
| ** | address, telephone and    |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available of the other    |   |                                 |
|    | body:**                   |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Full Texts are Now        |   |                                 |
|    | Available on the Internet |   |                                 |
|    | at URLs:                  |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akama      |   |                                 |
|    | itech.net/7/257/2422/01ja |   |                                 |
|    | n20061800/edocket.access. |   |                                 |
|    | gpo.gov/2006/E6-8398.htm> |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://a257.g.akamaitec  |   |                                 |
|    | h.net/7/257/2422/01jan200 |   |                                 |
|    | 61800/edocket.access.gpo. |   |                                 |
|    | gov/2006/pdf/E6-8398.pdf> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+