. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/USA/575
11 April 2002
(02-1974)
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 - EPA
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:  Pesticide
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Methoxychlor;  Proposed
Revocation of Tolerances (6 pages)
5. Description of content:   This Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document proposes
to revoke specific tolerances for residues of methoxychlor because (1) all registrations of
pesticides containing methoxychlor are suspended or canceled, and (2) there are insufficient
data to find the pesticide safe in accordance with section 4(b)(2)(A) of the Federal Food,Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).  The primary registrant of methoxychlor has failed to
submit the necessary data required to support continued registration under the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Ac t (FIFRA) of pesticide products containing
methoxychlor.  As a result, all methoxychlor products are currently suspended.  The
regulatory actions proposed in this document contribute toward the Agency's tolerance
reassessment requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) section
408(q), as amended by the Food Quality Protec tion Act (FQPA) of 1996.  By law, EPA is
required by August 2002 to reassess 66% of the tolerances in existence on 2 August 1996,
or about 6,400 tolerances.  The regulatory actions proposed in this document pertain to the
proposed revocation of 79 tolerances and/or exemptions which would be counted among
tolerance/exemption reassessments made toward the August 2002 review deadline.
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 standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  No Codex maximum residue levels have been
established for Methoxychlor.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  67 FR 16073
4 April 2002 (Available in English)G/SPS/N/USA/575
Page 2
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined.
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined.
11. Final date for comments:  Comments must be received on or before 3 June 2002.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  Environmental Protection Agency
[    ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax
number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:  Detailed instruction on where
and how to send comments 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:
United States SPS Enquiry Point/Notification Authority
USDA/FAS/FSTSD
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:  ofsts@fas.usda.gov