Document Headings

                    Document headings vary by document type but may contain                    the following:                  
                -                       the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document                    
                -                       the number of the CFR title and the number of each part                      the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly                      related to                    
                -                       the agency docket number / agency internal file number                    
                -                       the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in                      the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory                      Actions                    

                    See the                                          Document Drafting Handbook                                        for more details.                  

###### Environmental Protection Agency

          - [EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0322; FRL-8420-3]

#  AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

#  ACTION:

Notice.

#  SUMMARY:

There will be a 3-day meeting of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) to consider and review The Use of Structure Activity Relationships of Estrogen Binding Affinity to Support Prioritization of Pesticide Inert Ingredients and Antimicrobial Pesticides for Screening and Testing.

# DATES:

The meeting will be held on August 25-27, 2009, from 9 a.m. to approximately 5:30 p.m. 

*Comments*. The Agency encourages that written comments be submitted by August 17, 2009, and requests for oral comments be submitted by August 20, 2009. However, written comments and requests to make oral comments may be submitted until the date of the meeting, but anyone submitting written comments after August 17, 2009, should contact the Designated Federal Official (DFO) listed under                         **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.**                         For additional instructions, see Unit I.C. of the                         **SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION**                        .                    

*Nominations*. Nominations of candidates to serve as ad hoc members of FIFRA SAP for this meeting should be provided on or before June 17, 2009                    

*Special accommodations*. For information on access or services for individuals with disabilities, and to request accommodation of a disability, please contact the DFO listed under                         **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                         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 at the Environmental Protection Agency, Conference Center, Lobby Level, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202.

*Comments*. Submit your comments, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0322, by one of the following methods:                    
      -  Federal eRulemaking Portal :                          http://www.regulations.gov . Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.                    
      -  Mail : Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.                    
      -  Delivery : OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only accepted during the Docket Facility's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.                     

*Instructions*. Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0322. If your comments contain any information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected, please contact the DFO listed under                         **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                         to obtain special instructions before submitting your comments. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the docket without change and may be made available on-line at                         *http://www.regulations.gov*, including any personal information provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-mail. The regulations.gov website is an “anonymous access” system, which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.                    

*Docket*: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index available at                         *http://www.regulations.gov*. Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available only in hard copy form. 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 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.                    

*Nominations, requests to present oral comments, and requests for special accommodations*. Submit nominations to serve as ad hoc members of FIFRA SAP, requests for special seating accommodations, or requests to present oral comments to the DFO listed under                         **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                        .                     

#  FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                        Sharlene Matten, DFO, Office of Science Coordination and Policy (7201M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 564-0130; fax number: (202) 564-8382; e-mail addresses:                         *matten.sharlene@epa.gov*.                    

#  SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

##  I. General Information

###  A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

                    This action is directed to the public in general. This action may, however, be of interest to persons who are or may be required to conduct testing of chemical substances under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), FIFRA, and the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA). Since other entities                           ( print page 26694)                        may also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe 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 DFO listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                    .                

###  B. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

When submitting comments, remember to:

                    1. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying information (subject heading,                     **Federal Register**                     date and page number).                

 2. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.

3. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and substitute language for your requested changes.

4. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information and/or data that you used.

5. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be reproduced.

6. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and suggest alternatives.

7. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of profanity or personal threats.

8. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline identified.

###  C. How May I Participate in This Meeting?

You may participate in this meeting by following the instructions in this unit. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, it is imperative that you identify docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0322 in the subject line on the first page of your request.

                    1.                     *Written comments*. The Agency encourages that written comments be submitted, using the instructions in                     **ADDRESSES**                    , no later than August 17, 2009, to provide FIFRA SAP the time necessary to consider and review the written comments. Written comments are accepted until the date of the meeting, but anyone submitting written comments after August 17, 2009, should contact the DFO listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.**                     Anyone submitting written comments at the meeting should bring 30 copies for distribution to FIFRA SAP.                

                    2.                     *Oral comments*. The Agency encourages that each individual or group wishing to make brief oral comments to FIFRA SAP submit their request to the DFO listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                     no later than August 20, 2009, in order to be included on the meeting agenda. Requests to present oral comments will be accepted until the date of the meeting and, to the extent that time permits, the Chair of FIFRA SAP may permit the presentation of oral comments at the meeting by interested persons who have not previously requested time. The request should identify the name of the individual making the presentation, the organization (if any) the individual will represent, and any requirements for audiovisual equipment (e.g., overhead projector, 35 mm projector, chalkboard). Oral comments before FIFRA SAP are limited to approximately 5 minutes unless prior arrangements have been made. In addition, each speaker should bring 30 copies of his or her comments and presentation slides for distribution to the FIFRA SAP at the meeting.                

                    3.                     *Seating at the meeting*. Seating at the meeting will be open and on a first-come basis.                

                    4.                     *Request for nominations to serve as ad hoc members of FIFRA SAP for this meeting*. As part of a broader process for developing a pool of candidates for each meeting, FIFRA SAP staff routinely solicits the stakeholder community for nominations of prospective candidates for service as ad hoc members of FIFRA SAP. Any interested person or organization may nominate qualified individuals to be considered as prospective candidates for a specific meeting. Individuals nominated for this meeting should have expertise in one or more of the following areas:                     *In Vitro*                     Models of Receptor Binding (e.g., Estrogen) and Gene Activation, Expert Systems and SAR Modeling, and Use of Expert Systems in Prioritization Processes for Toxicity Testing Programs. Nominees should be scientists who have sufficient professional qualifications, including training and experience, to be capable of providing expert comments on the scientific issues for this meeting. Nominees should be identified by name, occupation, position, address, and telephone number. Nominations should be provided to the DFO listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                     on or before June 17, 2009. The Agency will consider all nominations of prospective candidates for this meeting that are received on or before this date. However, final selection of ad hoc members for this meeting is a discretionary function of the Agency.                

 The selection of scientists to serve on FIFRA SAP is based on the function of the panel and the expertise needed to address the Agency's charge to the panel. No interested scientists shall be ineligible to serve by reason of their membership on any other advisory committee to a Federal department or agency or their employment by a Federal department or agency except the EPA. Other factors considered during the selection process include availability of the potential panel member to fully participate in the panel's reviews, absence of any conflicts of interest or appearance of lack of impartiality, independence with respect to the matters under review, and lack of bias. Although financial conflicts of interest, the appearance of lack of impartiality, lack of independence, and bias may result in disqualification, the absence of such concerns does not assure that a candidate will be selected to serve on FIFRA SAP. Numerous qualified candidates are identified for each panel. Therefore, selection decisions involve carefully weighing a number of factors including the candidates' areas of expertise and professional qualifications and achieving an overall balance of different scientific perspectives on the panel. In order to have the collective breadth of experience needed to address the Agency's charge for this meeting, the Agency anticipates selecting approximately 10-12 ad hoc scientists.

                    FIFRA SAP members are subject to the provisions of 5 CFR part 2634, Executive Branch Financial Disclosure, as supplemented by EPA in 5 CFR part 6401. In anticipation of this requirement, prospective candidates for service on the FIFRA SAP will be asked to submit confidential financial information which shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the candidate's employment, stocks and bonds, and where applicable, sources of research support. EPA will evaluate the candidates financial disclosure form to assess whether there are financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a lack of impartiality or any prior involvement with the development of the documents under consideration (including previous scientific peer review) before the candidate is considered further for service on FIFRA SAP. Those who are selected from the pool of prospective candidates will be asked to attend the public meetings and to participate in the discussion of key issues and assumptions at these meetings. In addition, they will be asked to review and to help finalize the meeting minutes. The list of FIFRA SAP members participating at this meeting will be posted on the FIFRA SAP website at                     *http://epa.gov/​scipoly/​sap*                     or may be obtained from the OPP                           ( print page 26695)                        Regulatory Public Docket at                     *http://www.regulations.gov*.                

##  II. Background

###  A. Purpose of FIFRA SAP

FIFRA SAP serves as the primary scientific peer review mechanism of EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) and is structured to provide scientific advice, information and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on pesticides and pesticide-related issues as to the impact of regulatory actions on health and the environment. FIFRA SAP is a Federal advisory committee established in 1975 under FIFRA that operates in accordance with requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. FIFRA SAP is composed of a permanent panel consisting of seven members who are appointed by the EPA Administrator from nominees provided by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. FIFRA, as amended by FQPA, established a Science Review Board consisting of at least 60 scientists who are available to the SAP on an ad hoc basis to assist in reviews conducted by the SAP. As a peer review mechanism, FIFRA SAP provides comments, evaluations and recommendations to improve the effectiveness and quality of analyses made by Agency scientists. Members of FIFRA SAP are scientists who have sufficient professional qualifications, including training and experience, to provide expert advice and recommendation to the Agency.

###  B. Public Meeting

                    The Office of Pesticide Programs has a number of ongoing activities to broaden the suite of computer-based methods to better predict potential hazards and improve the effectiveness of risk assessment and risk management by focusing the generation of new data on likely risks of concern. The use of structure-activity relationships (SARs) in early hazard identification is one such cost effective prioritization tool that can guide the systematic collection of key test data. EPA is required to screen all pesticide chemicals, which includes active ingredients and other (“inert”) ingredients for potential endocrine disruption (ED). The Agency must prioritize hundreds of chemicals for ED screening and testing in biologically complex and resource intensive assays. This FIFRA SAP review will be focused on an SAR approach that was developed for pesticide inert ingredients and antimicrobial pesticides to help prioritize candidate chemicals for the Tier 1 Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program specific to an estrogen-mediated toxicity pathway. A particularly challenging issue is the development of prioritization techniques for chemicals, such as inert ingredients and some antimicrobial active ingredients that have minimal existing toxicological information. This SAR/Rule-Based Expert System for predicting estrogen receptor (ER) binding affinity is based on data derived from two                     *in vitro*                     assays: one optimized to measure the potential of chemicals to bind rainbow trout estrogen receptors (rtER), and a second that measures gene activation through production of vitellogenin. The SAP will be asked to comment on various aspects of the SAR/Rule-Based Expert System including transparency of the approach, biological endpoint definition, mechanistic interpretation, and model's applicability domain.                

### C. FIFRA SAP Documents and Meeting Minutes

                    EPA's background paper, related supporting materials, charge/questions to FIFRA SAP, FIFRA SAP composition (i.e., members and ad hoc members for this meeting), and the meeting agenda will be available by August 10, 2009. In addition, the Agency may provide additional background documents as the materials become available. You may obtain electronic copies of these documents, and certain other related documents that might be available electronically, at                     *http://www.regulations.gov*                     and the FIFRA SAP homepage at                     *http://www.epa.gov/​scipoly/​sap*.                

                    FIFRA SAP will prepare meeting minutes summarizing its recommendations to the Agency approximately 90 days after the meeting. The meeting minutes will be posted on the FIFRA SAP website or may be obtained from the OPP Regulatory Public Docket at                     *http://www.regulations.gov*.                

# List of Subjects

      - Environmental protection
      - Pesticides and pests

Dated: May 27, 2009.

Frank Sanders,

Director, Office of Science Coordination and Policy.

[FR Doc. E9-12923 Filed 6-2-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-S