Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0806-0002
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Meetings: Pollinator Health Task Force
Posted Date: 2014-11-05T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 214 (Wednesday, November 5, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65654-65655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26096]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0806; FRL-9918-77]

Pollinator Health Task Force; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: As part of the U.S. Government's efforts to promote the health 
of honey bees and other pollinators, the Pollinator Health Task Force 
(the Task Force) is soliciting stakeholder input on best management 
practices including pesticide risk mitigation, public-private 
partnerships, research, education opportunities, pollinator habitat 
improvements, and other actions that the Task Force should consider in 
developing a Federal strategy to reverse pollinator losses and help 
restore populations to healthy levels. EPA and the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host two listening sessions in 
order to solicit stakeholder input to the Federal strategy.

DATES: Meetings: The meetings will be held on November 12, 2014, from 1 
p.m. to 3 p.m., eastern standard time, and November 17, 2014, from 1 
p.m. to 3 p.m., eastern standard time.
    Comments: Written comments must be received on or before close of 
business November 24, 2014.
    Request for accommodations: To request accommodation of a 
disability, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably at least 10 days prior to the

[[Page 65655]]

meeting, to give EPA and USDA as much time as possible to process your 
request.

ADDRESSES: Meetings: The November 12, 2014 meeting will be held at EPA, 
1 Potomac Yard South, 2777 Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA, in the lobby-
level Conference Center. Individuals attending the November 12, 2014 
meeting must bring appropriate identification with them to the meeting. 
Identification requirements are available at: http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/cb/csb_page/updates/2014/new-id.html.
    The November 17, 2014 meeting will be held at USDA, 4700 River Rd., 
Riverdale, MD 20737.
    Webinar: Stakeholders will be able to participate in the listening 
sessions via webinar. Instructions for webinar participation will be 
made available at http://www2.epa.gov/pollinator-protection prior to 
the first listening session.
    Comments: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0806, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit 
electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute.
     Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket 
Center (EPA/DC), (28221T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 
20460-0001.
     Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand 
delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the 
instructions at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.html.
    Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along 
with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Nevola, Pesticide Re-Evaluation 
Division (7508P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: (703) 308-8037; email address: 
nevola.joseph@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of 
particular interest to persons who work in agricultural settings or 
persons who are concerned about pollinator health. You may be 
potentially affected by this action if you belong to any of the 
following entities: Agricultural workers and farmers; pesticide 
industry and trade associations; beekeepers; environmental, consumer, 
and farm worker groups; State, local, and tribal governments; academia; 
public health organizations; conservation organizations; and the 
public.

B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through 
regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or 
CD-ROM that you mail to EPA, mark the outside of the disk or CD-ROM as 
CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or CD-ROM the 
specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to one 
complete version of the comment that includes information claimed as 
CBI, a copy of the comment that does not contain the information 
claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public docket. 
Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with 
procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2.
    2. Tips for preparing your comments. When preparing and submitting 
your comments, see the commenting tips at http://www.epa.gov/dockets/comments.html.

II. Background

    The Task Force was created by President Barack Obama to develop a 
Federal strategy to promote the health of honey bees and other 
pollinators. Co-chaired by the USDA and the EPA, the Task Force 
includes membership from the Department of State, the Department of 
Defense, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, the Department of Transportation, the Department of 
Energy, the Department of Education, the Council on Environmental 
Quality, the Domestic Policy Council, the General Services 
Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, the Delta Regional Authority, the Smithsonian, the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Security 
Council staff, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy. The National Pollinator Health Strategy 
(the strategy) will include explicit goals, milestones, and metrics to 
measure progress. The strategy will include the following components:
    1. A pollinator research action plan.
    2. A public education plan.
    3. Public-private partnerships.
    Another critical piece of the strategy will focus on increasing and 
improving pollinator habitat. For additional information regarding the 
strategy, please see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/presidential-memorandum-creating-federal-strategy-promote-health-honey-b.
    The Task Force is particularly interested in hearing about 
opportunities for public-private partnerships to augment actions on 
research, education, and habitat expansion and improvement. To this 
end, and with emphasis on actions of substantial potential impact or 
amenability to scaling, the Task Force welcomes information on existing 
partnerships and opportunities for new partnerships, accompanied, where 
possible, with implementation details and recommendations.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

    Dated: October 28, 2014.
Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.,
Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-26096 Filed 11-4-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P