Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0270-0003
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Pesticide Registration Improvement Act Bilingual Labeling Requirements: Making Bilingual Pesticide Labeling Accessible to Farmworkers
Posted Date: 2023-06-20T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 117 (Tuesday, June 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39845-39847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13013]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0270; FRL-10998-01-OCSPP]

Implementation of PRIA 5 Bilingual Labeling Requirements To Make 
Bilingual Pesticide Labeling Accessible to Farmworkers; Request for 
Comments

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5) 
requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin to 
seek stakeholder input on ways to make bilingual pesticide labeling 
accessible to farmworkers by June 30, 2023, and to implement a plan to 
ensure that farmworkers have access to the bilingual pesticide labeling 
by December 2025. EPA hosted the Bilingual Pesticide Labeling National 
Webinar on June 15, 2023 and is opening a docket to receive written 
public comments. The purpose of the public comment period is to obtain 
feedback from stakeholders on ways to make bilingual pesticide labeling 
accessible to farmworkers to aid

[[Page 39846]]

in the development of a plan to ensure that farmworkers have access to 
the bilingual pesticide labeling. Public input that includes 
environmental justice perspectives with solutions will be key in 
helping the Agency develop a strong starting point for addressing 
historical disadvantages for farmworkers.

DATES: Submit your comments on or before August 21, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0270, through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at https://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. Additional 
instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more 
information about dockets generally, is available at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Bartow, Office of Chemical 
Safety and Pollution Prevention, Pesticide Re-evaluation Division 
(7508M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 566-2280; email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

    This notice is directed to the general public and may be of 
specific interest to persons (e.g., industry, non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs), farmworkers, and academia) who are interested in 
making bilingual pesticide labeling accessible to farmworkers. Because 
other entities may also be interested in this notice, the agency has 
not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be 
interested in this subject. If you have any questions regarding the 
applicability of this action to a particular entity, contact the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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

    1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit CBI information to EPA through 
regulations.gov or email. Clearly mark the part or all of the 
information that you claim to be 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 Tips for Effective Comments at https://www.epa.gov/dockets. Please note that once submitted, comments cannot be edited or 
removed from the docket. The EPA may publish any comment received to 
its public docket.

II. Background

A. What is the Agency's authority for taking this action?

    The Federal, Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) 
section 3(f)(5)(D) requires EPA to seek stakeholder input on ways to 
make bilingual labeling accessible to farmworkers.

B. What action is the Agency taking?

    The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5), 
enacted on December 29, 2022, amended FIFRA requiring Spanish language 
translation for sections of the end-use pesticide product labels where 
translation is available in the EPA Spanish Translation Guide for 
Pesticide Labeling. The Spanish Translation Guide is located at: 
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-labels/spanish-translation-guide-pesticide-labeling. It contains translations of the health and safety 
portions of pesticide product labels. Specifically, it has Spanish 
translations of the ``keep out of reach of children'' statement, the 
restricted use pesticide statement for restricted use products, the 
signal word, the first aid section, the precautionary statement 
section, the personal protective equipment section, the misuse 
statement, and the storage and disposal statements. It also has 
examples of pesticide product label language for the agricultural use 
requirements section (including restricted entry interval information) 
and precautionary statements.
    PRIA 5 requires that the Spanish language translation for sections 
of the end-use pesticide product labels (where translation is available 
in the EPA Spanish Translation Guide) must appear on the pesticide 
product container or a link to such translation via scannable 
technology or other electronic methods readily accessible on the 
product label. These translations are required on a rolling schedule 
from December 2025 to December 2030 depending on the type of pesticide 
product and the toxicity category.
    PRIA 5 also requires EPA to begin to seek stakeholder input on ways 
to make bilingual pesticide labeling accessible to farmworkers by June 
30, 2023, and to implement a plan to ensure that farmworkers have 
access to the bilingual pesticide labeling by December 2025.
    On June 15, 2023, EPA hosted the Bilingual Pesticide Labeling 
National Webinar to obtain input from the public on ways to make 
bilingual pesticide labeling accessible to farmworkers as required by 
the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022. EPA is now opening 
a comment period for 60 days through a Federal Register Notice. The 
purpose of the public comment period is to obtain feedback from 
stakeholders on ways to make bilingual pesticide labeling accessible to 
farmworkers to aid in the development of a plan to ensure that 
farmworkers have access to the bilingual pesticide labeling. Public 
input that includes environmental justice perspectives with solutions 
will be key in helping the Agency develop a strong starting point for 
addressing historical disadvantages for farmworkers.

C. What feedback does EPA hope to gain from the public comments?

    The Agency is interested in suggestions focusing on how to make 
bilingual pesticide labeling accessible to farmworkers. We are not 
seeking input or comments about any specific products or other topics 
outside of that scope. Here are some questions to consider as you 
provide feedback to EPA on making bilingual pesticide labeling 
accessible to farmworkers:
     What communication approaches, processes or strategies 
should the Agency consider to ensure bilingual pesticide labels are 
accessible to farmworkers? What specific approaches should the Agency 
avoid or adopt when implementing efforts to best ensure access by 
farmworkers to bilingual pesticide labels?
     What technologies, mobile applications, and internet 
access should the Agency consider? Would web-based labels be accessible 
to farmworkers? How should the Agency overcome internet connectivity 
issues that some farmworkers may face?
     How can the Agency effectively share health and safety 
information on pesticide labels with farmworkers? What should on-the-
ground logistics look like? Which entities (e.g., community-based 
organizations) should the Agency work with to provide label information 
to farmworkers?

[[Page 39847]]

     As the Agency implements actions to meet this requirement, 
how can EPA effectively increase farmworker access to bilingual 
pesticide labels (e.g., communication plans, outreach strategies)?

D. How is EPA seeking public comments?

    EPA is seeking public comments through several planned activities 
including through this Federal Register document, EPA is soliciting 
comment on the questions posed in Unit II.B. Following the close of the 
comment period, EPA will consider comments received during the public 
webinar and public comment period in the development of a plan to 
ensure that farmworkers have access to the bilingual pesticide 
labeling.
    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

    Dated: June 13, 2023.
Michal Freedhoff,
Assistant Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2023-13013 Filed 6-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P