Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34637

holidays. The PIRIB telephone number

is (703) 305–5805.

II. Background

A. What Guidance Does this PR Notice

Provide?

The PR Notice announces the

discontinuation of phenol resistance

testing as a part of efficacy testing for

antimicrobial disinfectants and

sanitizers. The Agency will now

consider registering or reregistering

antimicrobial disinfectant or sanitizer

pesticides without supporting phenol

resistance testing. All other data in

support of registration or reregistration,

including any required efficacy testing

data, would also need to be submitted

and accepted by the Agency.

Phenol resistance testing is a standard

that has traditionally been used to

estimate the intrinsic resistance or

sensitivity of some test bacteria to

chemical disinfectants and sanitizers.

For years, the Agency has been aware of

the lack of standard and uniform

resistance levels to phenol expressed by

the test cultures used in the existing

Official Methods of Analysis of the

Association of Official Analytical

Chemists (AOAC) test methods.

Historically, the inability to maintain

and propagate test cultures that express

standard and uniform levels of phenol

resistance has been a recognized

scientific problem which has persisted

for at least 70 years. Furthermore, the

inability of many reputable and

competent testing facilities to achieve

consistent test results with the phenol

resistance standard has prompted both

concern and action by the Agency.

On September 10, 1997, after internal

scientific deliberation, the Agency

placed before the Federal Insecticide,

Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)

Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) the

following question regarding phenol

resistance:

What scientific direction should be

taken regarding the lack of standard and

uniform resistance levels to phenol of

the test cultures used in the existing

AOAC (Association of Official

Analytical Chemists) efficacy test

methods? Should the Agency:

• Totally eliminate the phenol

resistance requirement; or

• Modify the required phenol

resistance patterns to provide a broader

range of acceptable resistance; or

• Replace the phenol resistance

requirements with some other

procedures that assure hardiness and

equivalence to test cultures, such as

standard, quantitative inoculum level?

Briefly, the SAP responded that there

is no current relevance to requiring the

phenol resistance test and, therefore, the

phenol coefficient method should be

eliminated and new protocols should be

established for defining the conditions

for culturing test microorganisms with

suitable resistance levels to

antimicrobials.

Subdivision G of the Pesticide

Assessment Guidelines, part 91-1,

describes the general product

performance (efficacy) standards for

disinfectants and sanitizers. Subsection

(b)(3)(I) of part 91–1 refers to the AOAC

standard tests that may be used to

satisfy the data requirements of 40 CFR

158.640. In turn, these AOAC tests

include references to phenol resistance

testing.

The Agency concurs with the SAP,

which has engaged in considerable

discussion and deliberation, internally

and with members of the scientific and

regulated communities, on how to best

proceed. Given the inapplicability of a

test organism’s resistance to phenol

when disinfectants or sanitizers are

tested for their efficacy performance, the

Agency no longer requires submission

of testing to demonstrate compliance

with AOAC-specified levels of

expressed phenol resistance by test

microorganisms during the efficacy

evaluation of disinfectants or sanitizers.

However, as an interim measure while

method development research

continues, the Agency recommends a

minimum inoculum level of 104 colony

forming units per carrier for all test

microorganisms when the AOAC carrier

based tests are used.

B. PR Notices are Guidance Documents

The PR Notice discussed in this

notice is intended to provide guidance

to EPA personnel and decision-makers

and to pesticide registrants. This notice

is not binding on either EPA or

pesticide registrants, and EPA may

depart from the guidance where

circumstances warrant and without

prior notice. Likewise, pesticide

registrants may assert that the guidance

is not appropriate generally or not

applicable to a specific pesticide or

situation.

List of Subjects

Environmental protection,

Administrative practice and procedure,

Agricultural commodities, Pesticides

and pests.

Dated: June 19, 2001.

Marcia E. Mulkey,

Director, Office of Pesticide Programs

[FR Doc. 01–16442 Filed 6–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560–50–S

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE

UNITED STATES

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Current Collection;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Export-Import Bank of the

United States.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with

requirements of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, the ExportImport Bank of the United States (Ex-Im

Bank) has submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) a

request to review and approve an

extension of a currently approved

collection described below. This notice

is soliciting comments from members of

the public concerning the proposed

information collection.

DATES: Written comments should be

received on or before July 31, 2001 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

and recommendations concerning the

submission to Mr. David Rostker, Office

of Management and Budget, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

NEOB, Room 10202, Washington, DC

20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of these submissions and any

additional information may be obtained

from Carlista D. Robinson, ExportImport Bank of the U.S., 811 Vermont

Avenue, NE., Room 764, Washington,

DC 20571 (202–565–3351).

34638 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title &

Form Number: Export-Import Bank of

the U.S. Preliminary Commitment and

Final Commitment Application EIB

Form 95–10.

OMB Number: 3048–0005.

Type of Review: Extension of a

currently approved collection.

Need and Use: The information

requested enables the applicant to

provide Ex-Im Bank with the

information necessary to determine

eligibility for the Loan and Guarantee

Programs.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit.

Respondents: Entities involved in the

provision of financing or arranging of

financing for foreign buyers of U.S.

exports.

Estimated Annual Respondents: 550.

Estimated Time per Respondent: 1.4

hours.

Estimated Annual Burden: 775 hours.

Frequency of Response: When

applying for a preliminary or final

commitment.

Dated: June 25, 2001.

Carlista D. Robinson,

Agency Clearance Officer.

BILLING CODE 6690–01–M

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34648 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

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34650 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34651

34652 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34653

34654 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34655

34656 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34657

34658 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34659

34660 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

* Revised

[FR Doc. 01–16367 Filed 6–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6690–01–C

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK

[Public Notice 46]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Submission for OMB

Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Export-Import Bank of the U.S.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review;

comment request.

SUMMARY: In accordance with

requirements of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995, the ExportImport Bank of the United States (Ex-Im

Bank) has submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) a

request to review and approve an

extension of a currently approved

collection described below. A request

for public comment was published in 66

FR No. 85, 21976, May 2, 2001. No

comments were received. This notice is

soliciting comments for members of the

public concerning the proposed

information collection to: (1) Evaluate

whether the proposed collection is

necessary for the proper performance of

the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have

practical utility; (2) evaluate the

accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the

burden of the proposed collection of

information; (3) minimize the burden of

collection of information for those who

are to respond; including through the

use of appropriate automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology, e.g., permitting electronic

submission of responses.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on or before July 31,

2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments and

recommendations concerning the

submission should be sent to Mr. David

Rostker, Office of Management and

Budget, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, NEOB, Room 10202,

Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of these submissions and any

additional information may be obtained

from Carlista D. Robinson, ExportImport Bank of the U.S., 811 Vermont

Avenue, NW., Rm. 764, Washington, DC

20571, (202) 565–3351.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title & Form Number: Ex-Im Bank

Letter of Interest Application—EIB Form

95–9.

OMB Number: 3048–0005.

Type of Review: Reinstatement

without charge, of a previously

approved collection.

Need and Use: The information

requested enables the applicant to

provide Ex-Im Bank with the

information necessary to determine

eligibility for an indicative offer of

support under the loan and guarantee

programs.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit.

Respondents: Entities involved in the

provision of financing or arranging or

financing for foreign buyers of U.S.

exports.

Estimated Annual Respondents: 960.

Estimated Time Per Respondent: 20

Minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 310 *.

Frequency of Response: When

applying for a Letter of Interest.

Dated: June 25, 2001.

Carlista D. Robinson,

Agency Clearance Officer.

BILLING CODE 6690–01–M