[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 90 (Thursday, May 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20353-20354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09484]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPP-2019-0206; FRL-9992-75]
Mefentrifluconazole; Receipt of Applications for Emergency
Exemptions, Solicitation of Public Comment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: EPA has received specific exemption requests from the North
Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDA), the Michigan Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), and the Minnesota Department
of Agriculture (MDA) to use the fungicide mefentrifluconazole (CAS No.
1417782-03-6) to treat up to 376,000 acres of sugarbeets to control
Cercospora leaf spot disease. The applicants propose use of a new
chemical which has not been registered
[[Page 20354]]
by EPA as a pesticide. Therefore, EPA is soliciting public comment
before making the decision whether to grant the exemptions.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 24, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2019-0206, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: 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.
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 https://www.epa.gov/dockets/where-send-comments-epa-dockets.
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: Michael L. Goodis, Registration
Division (7505P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-
0001; main telephone number: (703) 305-7090; email address:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Does this action apply to me?
You may be potentially affected by this action if you are an
agricultural producer, food manufacturer, or pesticide manufacturer.
The following list of North American Industrial Classification System
(NAICS) codes is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a
guide to help readers determine whether this document applies to them.
Potentially affected entities may include:
Crop production (NAICS code 111).
Animal production (NAICS code 112).
Food manufacturing (NAICS code 311).
Pesticide manufacturing (NAICS code 32532).
B. What should I consider as I prepare my comments for EPA?
1. Submitting CBI. Do not submit this information to EPA through
www.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 https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
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 pesticide
discussed in this document, compared to the general population.
II. What action is the Agency taking?
Under section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (7 U.S.C. 136p), at the discretion of the EPA
Administrator, a Federal or State agency may be exempted from any
provision of FIFRA if the EPA Administrator determines that emergency
conditions exist which require the exemption. The NDA, the MDARD, and
the MDA have requested the EPA Administrator to issue specific
exemptions for the use of mefentrifluconazole on sugarbeets to control
Cercospora leaf spot disease. Information in accordance with 40 CFR
part 166 was submitted as part of the requests.
As part of the requests, the applicants assert that the development
of resistance to available fungicides in the fungal pathogen Cercospora
beticola, has resulted in an urgent and non-routine pest control
situation that is expected to cause significant economic losses without
the requested use. The applicants propose to make no more than two
applications at a rate of 0.13 lb. (maximum total of 0.26 lb.) of
active ingredient mefentrifluconazole per acre, on up to 376,000 acres
of sugarbeets grown in North Dakota, Michigan, and Minnesota from June
15 to September 7, 2019. A total of 97,760 lbs. of mefentrifluconazole
could be used (maximum acreage at highest rate), although the
applicants state that the affected acreage is more likely to receive
only one treatment.
This notice does not constitute a decision by EPA on the
applications themselves. The regulations governing FIFRA section 18 at
40 CFR 166.24(a)(1), require publication of a notice of receipt of an
application for a specific exemption proposing use of a new chemical
which has not been registered by EPA as a pesticide. The notice
provides an opportunity for public comment on the application. The
Agency will review and consider all comments received during the
comment period in determining whether to issue the specific exemptions
requested by the NDA, the MDARD, and the MDA.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.
Dated: May 1, 2019.
Michael Goodis,
Director, Registration Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2019-09484 Filed 5-8-19; 8:45 am]
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