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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 46 (Wednesday, March 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12959-12960]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5068]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0136; FRL-8865-7]

Promoting Community Integrated Pest Management To Prevent Tick-
Borne Diseases; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA will host a National Community Integrated Pest Management 
(IPM) for Preventing Tick-Borne Diseases Conference on March 30 and 31, 
2011, under the auspices of EPA's Pesticide Program Dialog Committee 
(Public Health Work Group). The objectives of the conference are to 
identify knowledge gaps and barriers to effective community-wide tick 
control; propose the next steps in addressing knowledge gaps and 
eliminating barriers; and develop a framework for addressing the 
highest priority needs. The agenda for this conference will be posted 
at http://www.epa.gov/pestwise/ and placed in the docket in advance of 
the meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on March 30 and 31, 2011, from 8 a.m. 
to 5 p.m. Requests to participate in the meeting must be received on or 
before March 18, 2011. To request accommodation of a disability, please 
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT, 
preferably at least 10 days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much 
time as possible to process your request.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in Arlington, VA 22202 at at 
location to be determined. For additional information on the location, 
please see the following Web page: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Raderrio Wilkins, Biopesticides and 
Pollution Prevention Division (7511P), Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 308-1259; e-mail 
address: wilkins.raderrio@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. The announcement 
may be of interest to Federal, State, and local municipal officials 
involved in tick management, prevention and outreach; practitioners 
involved in managing tick populations in parks, residential areas and 
military installations; academic and research institutions examining 
the effectiveness of prevention strategies; school officials, teachers, 
outdoor educators, nurses and anyone involved in educating children; 
non-government organizations (NGO); civic and community organizations; 
Integrated Pest Management implementers; pesticide registrants for 
insect repellents and area wide control; regional landscape planners 
concerned with biodiversity and fragmented habitat; and health 
economists concerned with infectious disease.
    Since other entities may also be interested, the Agency has not 
described all the specific entities that may be affected by this 
action. If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this 
action to a particular entity, consult the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

B. How can I get copies of this document and other related information?

    EPA has established a docket for this action under docket ID number 
EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0136. Publicly available docket materials are available 
either in the electronic docket at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if 
only available in hard copy, at the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) 
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of operation of this 
Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 
305-5805.

II. Background

    Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 
and anaplasmosis, are an increasing problem in the United States, both 
in terms of frequency of occurrence and range. Increases in the ranges 
of disease hosts and carriers, possibly due to changes in populations 
and climatic conditions mean that tick bite protection and disease 
prevention have become critical needs. Adolescents and children are 
especially at risk because of the time they spend outdoors.
    It is important that the Federal government assist in exploring 
means of effectively identifying challenges and ways to remedy this 
growing problem of tick management through Integrated Pest Management 
(IPM). This conference will identify knowledge gaps and barriers to 
effective community-wide tick IPM programs; propose the next steps in 
addressing knowledge gaps and eliminating barriers; and develop a 
framework for addressing the highest priority needs.
    The conference will focus on six topic areas that will contribute 
to the development of an IPM-based prevention strategy and action plan:
    1. Protecting children in school and outdoor environments.
    2. Creating institutional structures for community level IPM.
    3. Examining the role of landscape planning in tick management.
    4. Public outreach strategies to reach targeted populations.
    5. Protecting outdoor worker exposure.
    6. Measuring the impact of prevention strategy in the United 
States.

[[Page 12960]]

III. How can I request to participate in this meeting?

    The conference is open to the public. Visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1154843167 to register to attend in person. 
You may submit a request to provide formal comments (up to three 
minutes) in this meeting to info@epa.gov. Requests to participate in 
the meeting should include name, affiliation, address, telephone 
number, and e-mail address. Do not submit any information in your 
request that is considered CBI. Requests to participate in the meeting, 
identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0136, must be received 
on or before March 17, 2011.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Community IPM, Insect Repellents, 
Integrated Pest Management, Lyme Disease, IPM, Tick, Tick-borne 
Disease.

    Dated: February 24, 2011.
Keith A. Matthews,
Acting Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, 
Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-5068 Filed 3-8-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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