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Proposed Rules, Policies, and Guidance - Open for Comment
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Requirements, policies, and guidance that EPA is proposing. Comments are solicited from the public before EPA issues final versions. Public comment is open for all items on this page. Items for which the comment period has expired are listed on the following archive pages:
Proposed Rules, Policies, and Guidance - 2010 Archive
Proposed Rules, Policies, and Guidance - 2009 Archive
Proposed Rules, Policies, and Guidance - 2008 Archive
Proposed Rules, Policies, and Guidance - 2007 Archive
Comment Period Open
- Pesticide Registration Decisions Opened for Public Comment (1/29/10)
- Pesticide Registration Decision Opened for Public Comment (2/4/10)
- EPA To Strengthen Oversight of Pesticide’s Impact on Children and Farmworkers (2/8/10)
- Nine Pesticide Registration Review Dockets Opened for Review and Comment (2/16/10)
- EPA Seeks To Disclose Pesticide Inert Ingredients (2/22/10)
- Ethylene Registration Review Docket Opened for Review and Comment (2/26/10)
- Registration Review Proposed Decision Available for Bacillus Subtilis (2/28/10)
- EPA Proposes New Pesticide Labeling To Control Spray Drift and Protect Human Health; Requests Comment on Draft Interpretation, Support Documents (3/5/10)
- Comments Requested on Petition To Protect Children from Pesticide Drift (3/5/10)
- EPA Proposes Revisions to Pesticide Tolerance Crop Grouping Regulations (3/8/10)
- Five Antimicrobial Pesticide Registration Review Dockets Opened for Review and Comment (3/16/10)
- EPA Solicits Comments on Petition Requesting Classification of all Rodenticide Products Containing Strychnine as Restricted Use Pesticides (3/18/10)
- EPA Proposes Standards To Protect Florida’s Waters (3/29/10)
Pesticide Registration Decisions Opened for Public Comment
EPA is making its proposed registration decisions available for the following biopesticides:
Also available for comment are the draft final exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance for each biopesticide in or on all food commodities. Comments will be accepted through January, 29 2010.
Pesticide Registration Decision Opened for Public Comment
EPA is making its proposed registration decision available for the following biopesticide:
Also available for comment are the draft final exemptions from the requirement of a tolerance in or on all food commodities. Comments will be accepted through February 4, 2010.
EPA To Strengthen Oversight of Pesticide’s Impact on Children and Farmworkers
EPA has released a policy paper that describes how the Agency plans to use revised methods in conducting risk assessments for pesticide uses and exposures not governed by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Implementing this policy will increase protections, especially for agricultural workers and children of workers in agricultural fields. The agency is asking the public to comment on the new approach and how best to implement the improvements. Under the policy, EPA risk assessments for children, farmworkers and others, would consider aggregate pesticide exposures from all sources in addition to the cumulative effects from multiple pesticides that have similar toxicity. EPA would apply an additional safety factor to protect infants and children from the risks of pesticides where the available data are incomplete. Comments must be received on or before February 8, 2010.
Nine Pesticide Registration Review Dockets Opened for Review and Comment
EPA has established registration review dockets for the following pesticides, and is opening the public comment period for these registration reviews:
- Azoxystrobin (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0835)
- Cyphenothrin (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0842)
- Difenzoquat (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0787)
- Diquat Dibromide (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0846)
- Esfenvalerate (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0301)
- Metalaxyl & Mefenoxam (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0863)
- Propoxur (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0806)
- Thiodicarb (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0432)
- Fenbutatin Oxide (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0841)
Comments must be received on or before February 16, 2010.
EPA Seeks To Disclose Pesticide Inert Ingredients
In response to two petitions seeking disclosure of selected inert ingredients on pesticide labels, EPA is initiating rulemaking to increase public availability of the identities of the inert ingredients in pesticide products. This action would assist consumers and users of pesticides in making informed decisions and reduce the presence of potentially hazardous ingredients in pesticides. Inert ingredients are part of the end use product formulation and are not active ingredients. Pesticide manufacturers usually disclose their inert ingredients only to EPA. The agency is inviting comment on various regulatory and voluntary steps to achieve this broader disclosure. Comments on the advance notice of proposed rulemaking must be received on or before February 22, 2010.
Ethylene Registration Review Docket Opened for Review and Comment
EPA has established a registration review docket for the pesticide ethylene (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0877), and is opening the public comment period for this registration review. Comments must be received on or before February 26, 2010.
Registration Review Proposed Decision Available for Bacillus Subtilis
This notice announces the availability of EPA's proposed registration review decision for the pesticide Bacillus subtilis (case 6012) and opens a public comment period on the proposed decision. The Bacillus subtilis case consists of four strains: Strain GB03; Strain MBI 600; Strain QST 713; and var. amyloliquefaciens Strain FZB24. All four strains occur ubiquitously in the environment. Comments must be received on or before February 28, 2010.
EPA Proposes New Pesticide Labeling To Control Spray Drift and Protect Human Health; Requests Comment on Draft Interpretation, Support Documents
EPA has rolled out proposed guidance for new pesticide labeling to reduce off-target spray and dust drift. The actions in the draft pesticide registration (PR) notice, when implemented, will improve the clarity and consistency of pesticide labels and help prevent harm from spray drift. The new instructions will prohibit drift that could cause adverse health or environmental effects. In addition to the draft notice on pesticide-drift labeling, EPA is seeking comment on a draft pesticide drift labeling interpretation document that provides guidance to state and tribal enforcement officials. An additional supporting document provides background information on pesticide drift, a description of current and planned EPA actions, a reader’s guide explaining key terms and concepts, and specific questions on which EPA is seeking input. December 9, 2009 update: The comment period has been extended to March 5, 2010.
- Federal Register notice
- Draft PR notice and related materials from Docket ID #EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0628
- More information on pesticide spray and dust drift
Comments Requested on Petition To Protect Children from Pesticide Drift
EPA is requesting comment on a petition filed recently by environmental and farm worker organizations asking EPA to evaluate children’s exposure to pesticide drift and to adopt, on an interim basis, requirements for “no-spray” buffer zones near homes, schools, day-care centers, and parks. December 9, 2009 update: The comment period has been extended to March 5, 2010.
EPA Proposes Revisions to Pesticide Tolerance Crop Grouping Regulations
EPA is proposing revisions to its pesticide tolerance crop grouping regulations, which allow establishment of tolerances for multiple related crops, based on data from a representative set of crops. The present revision would create a new crop group for oilseeds, expand existing crop groups by adding new commodities, establish new crop subgroups, and revise the representative crops in some groups. EPA expects these revisions to promote greater use of crop groupings for tolerance-setting purposes and, in particular, will assist in making available lower risk pesticides for minor crops both domestically and in countries that export food to the United States. This is the second in a series of planned crop group updates expected to be proposed over the next several years. EPA is also proposing to delete 40 CFR 180.1(h) which addresses when tolerances apply to post-harvest uses. Comments must be received on or before March 8, 2010.
Five Antimicrobial Pesticide Registration Review Dockets Opened for Review and Comment
EPA has established registration review dockets for the following pesticides, and is opening the public comment period for these registration reviews:
- Disodium cyanodithioimidocarbamate (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0723)
- Dibromo-3-nitrilopropionamide (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0724)
- 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0725)
- Bromohydroxyacetophenone (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0726)
- Lauryl Sulfate Salts (Docket ID# EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0727)
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, the pesticide can perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on human health or the environment. Comments must be received on or before March 16, 2010.
EPA Solicits Comments on Petition Requesting Classification of all Rodenticide Products Containing Strychnine as Restricted Use Pesticides
EPA is publishing for public comment a July 9, 2009 petition from the State FIFRA Issues Research and Evaluation Group (SFIREG), available in docket number EPA–HQ–OPP–2009–0815, requesting that the Agency classify all rodenticide products containing strychnine as Restricted Use Pesticides. Restricted use pesticides may only be sold to and applied by certified applicators or persons acting under the direct supervision of certified applicators. End-use pesticide products that are not classified as restricted use pesticides are considered to be unclassified. The petitioner reports that member States have noted incidents of misuse of strychnine products, including use to control "black-tailed prairie dogs and other pests not found on the product labeling." The petitioner states that uses against prairie dogs typically consist of "broadcast applications of bait products on the soil surface" and thereby increase the likelihood of primary and secondary exposures to non-target species. Comments must be received on or before March 18, 2010.
EPA Proposes Standards To Protect Florida’s Waters
EPA is proposing water quality standards to protect people’s health, aquatic life, and the long term recreational uses of Florida’s waters, which are a critical part of the state’s economy. In 2009, EPA entered into a consent decree with the Florida Wildlife Federation to propose limits to this pollution. The proposed action, released for public comment and developed in collaboration with the state, would set a series of numeric limits on the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen that would be allowed in Florida’s lakes, rivers, streams, springs, and canals. Nutrient pollution can damage drinking water sources; increase exposure to harmful algal blooms, which are made of toxic microbes that can cause damage to the nervous system or even death; and form byproducts in drinking water from disinfection chemicals, some of which have been linked with serious human illnesses like bladder cancer. Phosphorus and nitrogen pollution comes from stormwater runoff, municipal wastewater treatment, fertilization of crops, and livestock manure. Nitrogen also forms from the burning of fossil fuels. The proposed action announced today also introduces and seeks comment on a new regulatory process for setting standards in a manner that drives water quality improvements in already impaired waters. The proposed new regulatory provision, called restoration standards, would be specific to nutrients in the state of Florida. EPA will hold three public hearings on the proposed rule to obtain input and comments on the direction of EPA’s rulemaking. These hearings are scheduled for February 16, 17, and 18, 2010 in Tallahassee, Orlando, and West Palm Beach, respectively. Comments must be received on or before March 29, 2010.
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