. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/156
4 May 1999
(99-1811)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Environmental Protection Agency
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable).
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Pesticides
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document: Bentazon, Cyanazine, Dicrotophos,
Diquat, Ethephon, Oryzalin, Oxadiazon, Piclor am, Prometryn, and Trifluralin; Proposed
Revocations and Changes in Terminology (8 pages)
5. Description of content: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to
revoke specific tolerances for residues of the herbicides bentazon, cyanazine, diquat,
oxadiazon, picloram, prometryn, and trifluralin;  the plant growth regulator ethephon; and
the insecticide dicrotophos.  EPA expects to determine whether any individuals or groupswant to support these tolerances.  In addition, EPA is also proposing to revise commodity
terminology for oryzalin, bentazon, diquat, ethephon, picloram, and trifluralin to conform to
current Agency practice.  The regulatory actions proposed in this document are part of the
Agency’s reregistration programme under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and the tolerance r eassessment requirements of the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).  By law EPA is required to reassess 33 per cent of the
tolerances in existence on 2 August 1996, by August 1999, or about 3,200 tolerances.  The
regulatory actions proposed in this document pertain to the proposed revocation of 29
tolerances and/or exemptions, which would be counted among reassessments made toward
the August 1999 review deadline of FFDCA section 408(q), as amended by the FoodQuality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996.
6. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety  [  ] animal health [  ] plant protection
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease  [  ]  protect territory from other 
damage from pests
7. An international standa rd, guideline or recommendati on does not exist [  ].
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations: The pesticide ethephon has a CXL for hazelnuts
under Codex Alimentarius.  The other pesticide actions listed in this proposal do not have aninternational standard, guideline or recommendation.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  64 FR 19961,
23 April 1999;  40 CFR Parts 180, 185 and 186 (Available in English)
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.G/SPS/N/USA/156
Page 2
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  The date of adoption and entry into force will be
announced when the final rule is published in the Federal Register.
11. Final date for comments:   22 June 1999
Agency or authority designated to handle comme nts:  [  ] National notification authority,
[  ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of
other body:   Environmental Protection Agency
Detailed instruction on where and how to send commen ts is in the body of the full text – which
will be sent upon request to the address in paragraph 12.
12. Texts available from:  [ X ] National notification authority,  [ X ]  National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
USDA/FAS/FSTD
Attn:  Carolyn F. Wilson
Room 5545 South Agriculture Building
Stop 1027
1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.Washington, D.C. 20250
Tel:  (202) 720 2239
Fax::  (202) 690 0677
E-mail address:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov