News from CPDA

EPA Announces Public Comment Period on Joint Petition Addressing EDSP Submitted by CPDA, HSIA and PETA Requesting that the Agency Comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act:  In the February 29, 2012 Federal Register, EPA published a notice announcing that it has accepted for public comment a joint petition filed by the Chemical Producers & Distributors Association, along with the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance, Inc. and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals requesting that the Agency comply with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) and the Office of Management and Budget’s Terms of Clearance for the approved Information Collection Request for 67 pesticide chemicals under the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The December 7, 2011 petition requests that EPA demonstrate the practical utility of this information collection before expanding the EDSP to include screening of additional chemicals. CPDA and the other co-petitioners make two specific assertions as follows: 1) the Agency has not demonstrated that the EDSP Tier 1 screening information collection is non-duplicative of information already available to EPA, and 2) by failing to provide the scientific support on which to make the necessary distinction that a chemical “may” or “may not” have the potential to interact with the endocrine system, the Agency has not demonstrated that the Tier 1 assays have practical utility. By extension, EPA’s failure to meet these requirements impedes its ability to administer the EDSP in a sound, scientific manner as called for under the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.  The public comment period closes on May 29, 2012.  Comments must be identified by docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0061 and may be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov.  Click here to read more.

EPA Releases its Final NPDES Pesticide General Permit:  As EPA had announced during the October 2011 meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), the Agency has released its Pesticide General Permit (PGP) for discharges of certain pesticide applications on, over, or near waters of the U.S. The PGP was finalized by the court-ordered deadline of October 31, 2011 with an effective date of November 1, 2011 and is available on EPA’s web site at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=410 but is not subject to further public comment. The PGP is identical to the pre-publication version of the draft final PGP released on April 1, 2011 with the exception that the final permit includes a set of conditions in response to the recommendations made by the National Marine Fisheries Service in its June 17, 2011 draft Biological Opinion (BiOp) pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). EPA has signaled that once the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed its consultations with the Agency and developed its BiOp recommendations, the PGP may be subject to further revision. The Federal Register notice announcing the final PGP including the statutory and regulatory history surrounding its development as well as its scope and applicability may be accessed at http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/11/07/2011-28770/final-national-pollutant-discharge-elimination-system-npdes-pesticide-general-permit-for-point.

CPDA Annual Meeting Presentations are Now Available Online:  Click here to view the speaker presentations from the CPDA Annual Meeting held July 17-19, 2011 at the Don CeSar Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida.

EPA Releases Annual Report Summarizing the Agency's PRIA Implementation Activities:  On March 1, 2012 EPA released its eighth annual report summarizing the status of the Agency’s implementation of PRIA. The Agency is required to publish the report under Section 33(k) of FIFRA as amended by PRIA. This eighth annual report covers EPA’s PRIA activities during Fiscal Year 2011 (October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011) and includes a discussion of the amount of registration and maintenance fees collected, actions completed, process improvements that have been implemented, and a variety of other PRIA related matters.  EPA states that only changes in processes, practices, and policies from FY 2010 are reported.  To access the current report as well as those published previously, click here.

PRIA Discussions Underway:  In related PRIA activities, CPDA and other members of the PRIA Coalition have been meeting with EPA representatives to discuss the early reauthorization of PRIA.  CPDA is a member of several work groups which have been reviewing the current structure of product registration categories under PRIA for possible revision.  CPDA encourages its members to provide our office with input on changes they believe would allow for improved efficiencies in the ongoing implementation of PRIA.

EPA Posts Online Pesticide Label Training Tutorial on its Web Site:  EPA has posted on its web site an online pesticide label tutorial aimed at training EPA employees whose job includes the review of labels as part of the registration process. In announcing the online tutorial, the Agency states that pesticide industry employees who develop labels for submission to EPA will also benefit from the training as the material will give these individuals a better understanding of what constitutes an acceptable label. The online training course is divided into five modules as follows: Label Basics, Parts of the Label, Special Issues, Applying the Principles of Pesticide Label Review, and Emerging Issues andCourse Completion. The five modules track the key concepts and requirements set forth in EPA's Label Review Manual. EPA states that the entire training can be completed in one or two sittings. Individuals may come back to the training tutorial where they left off. A quiz is provided at the end of the tutorial to help individuals assess their basic comprehension of the key labeling concepts covered in the training course. To take the labeling training course, visit EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/labels/pest-label-training/module1/index.html.

Updated Blue Book Posted on EPA's Web Site:  Updated "Blue Book" Now Available on EPA's Web Site: An updated version of the Pesticide Registration Manual,also known as the "Blue Book," is now available on EPA's web site.The manual describes EPA's review and decision making process for registering a pesticide product and its use. Detailed information for pesticide registrants concerning their responsibilities before, during and after the review process is also included in the manual. EPA ishoping to make available in the near future an electronicversion of the "Blue Book" inPDF format. The Agency intends to makesubsequent updates toindividual chapters of the manualas needed. The"Blue Book" may be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/registrationmanual/.