Document ID: EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0737-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Guidance: Benefits of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments to Soybean Production
Posted Date: 2014-10-22T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 204 (Wednesday, October 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63118-63120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24968]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0737; FRL-9917-55]

Benefits of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments to Soybean Production; 
Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of EPA's Benefits of 
Neonicotinoid Seed Treatments to Soybean Production document, and opens 
a public comment period on that document. The Agency has conducted this 
assessment as part of its ongoing re-evaluation of clothianidin, 
imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam under the registration review program. 
Registration review is EPA's periodic review of pesticide registrations 
to ensure that each pesticide continues to satisfy the statutory 
standard for registration, that is, that the pesticide can perform its 
intended function without causing unreasonable adverse effects on human 
health or the environment. Through this program, EPA considers both 
potential risks and benefits of pesticides. This assessment examines 
the use of clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam seed treatments 
in terms of the extent of use and the pests targeted in order to 
characterize overall benefits to soybean production nationwide.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 22, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0737, 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: For pesticide specific information, 
contact: Carissa Cyran, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), 
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: 
(703) 347-8781; email address: cyran.carissa@epa.gov.
    For general information on the registration review program, 
contact: Richard Dumas, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508P), 
Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: 
(703) 308-8015; email address: dumas.richard@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 
interest to a wide range of stakeholders including environmental, human 
health, farm worker, and agricultural advocates; the chemical industry; 
pesticide users; and members of the public interested in the sale, 
distribution, or use of pesticides. Since others also may 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 pesticide specific contact person.

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.
    3. Environmental justice. EPA seeks to achieve environmental 
justice, the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of any group, 
including minority and/or low income populations, in the development, 
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and 
policies. To help address potential environmental justice issues, the 
Agency seeks information on any groups or segments of the population 
who, as a result of their location, cultural practices, or other 
factors, may have atypical or disproportionately high and adverse human 
health impacts or environmental effects from exposure to the pesticides 
discussed in this document, compared to the general population.

II. What action is the Agency taking?

    As directed by section 3(g) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, 
and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is reviewing the pesticide 
registrations for clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam to 
ensure that they continue to satisfy the FIFRA standard for 
registration--that is, that clothianidin, imidacloprid, and 
thiamethoxam can still be used without unreasonable adverse effects on 
human health or the environment. Clothianidin, imidacloprid, and 
thiamethoxam are systemic neonicotinoid nitroguanidine insecticides 
registered for a variety of uses including on food-crops, non-food 
crops, ornamentals, seed treatments, structures (indoor and outdoor), 
and turf.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 155.53(c), EPA is providing an opportunity, 
through this notice of availability, for interested parties to provide 
comments and input concerning the Agency's assessment of benefits of 
neonicotinoid seed treatments to soybean production. Such comments and 
input could address, among other things, the Agency's assessment 
methodologies and assumptions, as applied to this assessment. The 
Agency will consider all comments received during the public comment 
period.
    1. Other related information. Additional information on 
clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam is available on the 
Pesticide Registration Review Status Web page, http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/registration_review/reg_review_status.htm. Information on the 
Agency's registration review program and its implementing regulation is 
available at http://www2.epa.gov/pesticide-reevaluation.
    2. Information submission requirements. Anyone may submit data or 
information in response to this document. To be considered during a 
pesticide's registration review, the submitted data or information must 
meet the following requirements:
     To ensure that EPA will consider data or information 
submitted, interested persons must submit the data or information 
during the comment period. The Agency may, at its discretion, consider 
data or information submitted at a later date.
     The data or information submitted must be presented in a 
legible and useable form. For example, an English translation must 
accompany any material that is not in English and a written transcript 
must accompany any

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information submitted as an audiographic or videographic record. 
Written material may be submitted in paper or electronic form.
     Submitters must clearly identify the source of any 
submitted data or information.
     Submitters may request the Agency to reconsider data or 
information that the Agency rejected in a previous review. However, 
submitters must explain why they believe the Agency should reconsider 
the data or information in the pesticide's registration review.

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

    Dated: October 8, 2014.
Richard P. Keigwin, Jr.,
Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-24968 Filed 10-21-14; 8:45 am]
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