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[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 93 (Friday, May 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30585-30586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12131]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OPP-0900657; FRL-6554-7]

EPA-USDA Committee to Advise on Reassessment and Transition; 
Request for Nominations for Appointment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The EPA-USDA Committee to Advise on Reassessment and 
Transition (CARAT) is being established in accordance with the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act as a subcommittee under the auspices of the EPA 
National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology 
(NACEPT). The purpose of CARAT is to provide advice and counsel to the 
Administrator of EPA and the Secretary of Agriculture regarding 
strategic approaches for pest management planning and tolerance 
reassessment for pesticides as required by the Food Quality Protection 
Act of 1996 (FQPA). CARAT is preceded by the Tolerance Reassessment 
Advisory Committee and will be guided by the principles set forth by 
the Vice President for EPA and USDA to work together to ensure smooth 
implementation of FQPA through use of sound science, consultation with 
stakeholders, increased transparency and reasonable transition for 
agriculture. EPA and USDA are soliciting qualified candidates who want 
to be considered for appointment to CARAT.

DATES: Nominations will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on May 26, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Nominations must be submitted in writing by mail, 
electronically or in person. Please follow the detailed instructions 
for each method as provided in Unit I. C. of the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you 
identify docket control number OPP-00657 in the subject line on the 
first page of your response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margie Fehrenbach, Designated Federal 
Officer, CARAT, Office of Pesticide Programs (7501-C), Office of 
Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: (703) 305-7090; e-mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general; however, it may 
be of interest to persons who are concerned about implementation of the 
FQPA (Public Law 104-170). Passed in 1996, this new law strengthens the 
nation's system for regulating pesticides on food. CARAT was preceded 
by the Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee which was established 
in 1998 in response to Vice President Gore's request for EPA and USDA 
to work together to ensure smooth implementation of FQPA.

B. How Can I Get Additional Information, Including Copies of this 
Document or Other Related Documents?

    1. Electronically. You may obtain electronic copies of this 
document, and certain other related documents that

[[Page 30586]]

might be available electronically, from the EPA Internet Home Page at 
http://www.epa.gov/. To access this document, on the Home Page select 
``Laws and Regulations'' and then look up the entry for this document 
under the ``Federal Register--Environmental Documents.'' You can also 
go directly to the Federal Register listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
    To access information about the Committee to Advise on Reassessment 
and Transition (CARAT), go directly to the Home Page for EPA's Office 
of Pesticide Programs at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/carat/.
    2. In person. The Agency has established an official record for 
this action under docket control number OPP-00657. The official record 
is available in the Docket for inspection from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., 
Monday - Friday, excluding Federal holidays, in the Public Information 
and Records Integrity Branch (PIRIB), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
USEPA, Crystal Mall 2 (CM #2), 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Rm. 119, 
Arlington, VA 22202, telephone number (703) 305-5805.

C. How and to Whom do I Submit Nominations?

    You may submit nominations through the mail, in person, or 
electronically. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that 
you identify docket control number OPP-00657 in the subject line on the 
first page of your response.
    1. By mail. Submit your nominations to: Public Information and 
Records Integrity Branch, 7502-C, Office of Pesticide Programs, Office 
of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS), US 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, 
Washington, DC 20460.
    2. In person or by courier. Deliver your nominations to: Public 
Information and Records Integrity Branch, Office of Pesticide Programs, 
OPPTS, Environmental Protection Agency, CM #2, 1921 Jefferson Davis 
Highway, Rm. 119, Arlington, VA 22202. The Docket is open from 8:30 
a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The 
telephone number for the Docket is (703) 305-5805.
    3. Electronically. You may submit your nominations electronically 
by e-mail to: [email protected], or you can submit a computer 
disk by mail as described in this unit. Do not submit any information 
electronically that you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information. Electronic nominations must be submitted as an ASCII file 
avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 
Nominations will also be accepted on standard disks in WordPerfect 6.1/
8.0 or ASCII file format. All nominations in electronic form must be 
identified by docket control number OPP-00657.

II. Background

    FQPA, Public Law 104-170 was passed in 1996 to strengthen the 
nation's system for regulating pesticides on food. CARAT is preceded by 
the Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee (TRAC), a previous joint 
advisory committee which existed from April 1998 through October 1999 
in response to Vice President Gore's request for EPA and USDA to work 
together to ensure smooth implementation of the Food Quality Protection 
Act. Consistent with the important principles established by the Vice 
President in April 1998, EPA and USDA will work together and guide 
their implementation efforts by: applying sound science to all 
decisions; making our regulatory process transparent; providing 
appropriate reasonable transition mechanisms that will reduce risk but 
not jeopardize our nation's agriculture and its farm communities; and 
consulting with interested constituencies.
    CARAT is co-chaired by EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Michael 
McCabe and USDA Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger. Among its objectives 
will be such issues as: Identifying opportunities for reasonable 
transition and strategic pest management planning for agriculture and 
public health uses of pesticides; providing advice to promote sound 
science and transparency in the scientific risk assessments necessary 
to implement the FQPA, including tolerance reassessment and pesticide 
reregistration; and assuring appropriate priority is given to risk 
management strategies for the pesticides that are most likely to lead 
to exposures to children.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Agriculture, Chemicals, Food, Pesticides, 
Tolerance Reassessment and Pests.

    Dated: May 8, 2000.
Susan H. Wayland,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic 
Substances.
[FR Doc. 00-12131 Filed 5-10-00; 12:07 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-0950-F
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