![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Newsroom | Alerts | News Links | News Archive | Email News
News Archive: April 2010
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.
This information is provided for reference. Over time, links to news items may become unavailable, in these cases the item will remain listed, but no link will be provided. Also, please be aware that the information in any particular article may be outdated or superseded by additional information.
April 30
EPA Establishes Web Site on BP Oil Spill
As part of the ongoing federal response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, EPA today established a Web site to inform the public about the spill’s impact on the environment and the health of nearby residents. The Web site will contain data from EPA’s ongoing air monitoring along with other information about the agency’s activities in the region.
FIFRA Scientific Advisory Panel Schedules Public Meetings
There will be a 1-day meeting of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) to consider and review a set of scientific issues related to the Comparative Adult and Juvenile Sensitivity Toxicity Protocols for Pyrethroids. The meeting will be held on July 23, 2010 in Arlington, VA.
There will be a 3-day meeting of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) to consider and review a set of scientific issues related to review of SHEDs-Multimedia version 4, Peer consult on PBPK Modeling, and a SHEDS- PBPK Permethrin study. The meeting will be held on July 20-22, 2010 in Arlington, VA.
April 29
Searchable Database on Chemical Hazard, Exposure and Toxicity Now Available
EPA is making it easier to find chemical information online. EPA is releasing a database, called ToxRefDB, which allows scientists and the interested public to search and download thousands of toxicity testing results on hundreds of chemicals. ToxRefDB captures 30 years and $2 billion of testing results. ToxRefDB contains toxicity information that forms the basis for pesticide risk assessments when combined with other sources of information, such as those on exposure and metabolism.
April 28
EPA Launches Online Map Tracking Enforcement Actions in Chesapeake Bay Watershed
EPA has launched an online map that shows the locations of federal air and water enforcement actions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The map is part of EPA’s increased focus on enforcement of federal pollution laws in the Chesapeake Bay region, including a new strategy of targeting geographic areas and pollution sources contributing the greatest amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment to streams, creeks, rivers and the bay. Improving water quality is one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s top priorities.
Exposure Modeling Public Meeting Scheduled
An Exposure Modeling Public Meeting (EMPM) will be held for one day on July 27, 2010 in Arlington, VA. Tentative topics for the meeting will include presentations related to ground water modeling and pesticide modeling refinements in agricultural and urban environs. Presentations submitted for the cancelled January 2010 EMPM will be tentatively scheduled for the July 27, 2010 EMPM meeting, provided the presenters are available.
April 26
Grant Opportunity: Aerial Pesticide Applicator Training and Outreach
EPA is soliciting applications from eligible organizations for an education and training program directed towards aerial applicators of pesticides to: promote safe pesticide application; secure pesticide and aircraft storage; enhance pesticide stewardship; and reduce risk to aerial applicators, agricultural workers, the public, and the environment through adoption of safer application techniques. Closing date for applications: June 07, 2010.
- Link to full announcement (PDF) (29 pp, 259K, About PDF)
April 23
EPA Encourages States To Use Portal for Reporting Ecological Incidents
In April of 2010, EPA mailed to State government agencies a letter announcing the availability of the Ecological Pesticide Incident Reporting Portal 
. Launched in October 2009, this online application was developed to facilitate the reporting of ecological incidents from States and other organizations involved with the investigation and documentation of ecological incidents. In addition to State agencies, Federal Government organizations, tribes, academia, wildlife rehabilitation centers, conservation societies, and beekeepers are welcomed to make use of this reporting portal. Information related to ecological incidents submitted via the portal will be imported into a database for use by risk assessors and risk managers in EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs and considered the next time risks are assessed for the pesticide(s) involved in the incident report. More complete data on ecological incidents will allow the Agency to make better informed regulatory decisions, write better label statements, and impose better risk mitigation measures. Additionally, incident data serve as early warning information and can assist the Agency in discovering trends, which if left unnoticed, could create problems.
Pesticide Registration Requests, Actions, and Tolerance Updates
- Clofencet -- request by the registrant to voluntarily cancel their registrations of certain products containing the pesticide clofencet. The request would delete clofencet use as a plant growth regulator registered for use in the production of hybrid wheat seed. The request would terminate the last clofencet products registered for use in the United States (April 28)
- Cyprodinil -- establishment of a tolerance for residues of cyprodinil in or on canola, seed (April 28)
- Cyromazine -- establishment of tolerances for residues of cyromazine in or on succulent beans at 2.0 parts per million (April 28)
- Difenoconazole -- establishment of tolerances for residues of the fungicide difenoconazole in or on various commodities; EPA is also revising the difenoconazole crop and animal tolerance expressions; deleting all section 18 difenoconazole tolerances that are no longer needed as a result of this action; reinstating tolerances for wheat forage, wheat grain, and wheat straw, which were inadvertently removed when previous tolerances were established; correcting the existing tolerance for beet, sugar; and deleting the grape import superscript (April 28)
- Dimethyldithiocarbamate salts -- order for the cancellation and/or amendments to terminate uses (April 21)
- Garlic Oil and Capsaicin -- availability of EPA's proposed registration review decisions and opening of a public comment period on the proposed decisions (April 30)
- Imidacloprid -- establishment of tolerances for combined residues of imidacloprid in or on vegetables, bulb, group 3; cereal grains, group 15 and cereal grains, forage, fodder and straw, group 16. This regulation also deletes tolerances for various commodities and tolerances from direct/inadvertent residues on cereal grains, group 15 and cereal grains, forage, fodder and straw, group 16, as they will be superseded by group tolerances (April 28)
- Methyl parathion -- requests by the registrants to voluntarily cancel their registrations of products containing the pesticide methyl parathion. The requests would delete methyl parathion use in or on alfalfa, almonds, barley, canola/rapeseed, corn (field, pop, and sweet), cotton, grass (forage), oats, onions, potatoes (sweet and white), rice, rye, soybeans, sunflowers, walnuts, and wheat. The requests would terminate the last methyl parathion products registered for use in the United States (April 28)
- Pesticide products -- applications to register new uses for pesticide products containing currently registered active ingredients (April 21)
- Pesticide products -- applications to register pesticide products containing an active ingredient not included in any previously registered pesticide product (May 4)
- Phosphate ester, tallowamine, ethoxylated (PETAE) -- exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues when used as an inert ingredient at a maximum of 20% by weight in pesticide formulations applied in or on growing crops (April 28)
- Pirimicarb -- product cancellation order for certain pesticide registrations (April 21)
- Polyglyceryl phthalate ester of coconut oil fatty acids -- exemption from the requirement of a tolerance; technical correction (April 21)
April 15
EPA Finalizes the 2008 National U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
EPA has released the 15th annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report, which shows a drop in overall emissions of 2.9 percent from 2007 to 2008. The downward trend is attributed to a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption. Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2008 were equivalent to 6,957 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. The gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. Though overall emissions dropped in 2008, emissions are still 13.5 percent higher than they were in 1990.
April 14
Texas Company Fined $128,300 for Violating Federal Pesticide Law
The President and Chief Executive Officer of a Texas pesticide producing company agreed to settle a complaint brought by EPA for violating a federal pesticides law designed to provide proper registration, distribution and sale of pesticides. According to the complaint, the company distributed and sold a registered pesticide whose composition was different from its registration, and distributed and sold unregistered and/or misbranded pesticides including Hi-Yield 5% Malathion Dust, Ferti-Lome Come and Get It! Fire Ant Killer, Hi-Yield Dusting Wettable Sulphur, Ferti-Lome Dormant Spray and Summer Oil Spray, Natural Guard Lawn, Plant & Pet Insect Spray, and Hi-Yield Kill-A-Bug II. EPA inspectors, joined by staff from the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) conducted an inspection at the facility on July 27, 2008. The inspection was conducted as a result of several referrals from other EPA regions regarding the company's pesticide products being distributed and sold in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA and TDA inspectors collected copies of documents from the company and verified the alleged violations.
Region 1 Wetland Program Development Grant Opportunity
The Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) for Regions, initiated in FY90, provide applicants an opportunity to carry out projects to develop and refine comprehensive wetland programs. The authority for the grant program is Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) which restricts the use of these grant funds to improving wetland programs by conducting or promoting the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. All proposed projects must be linked to environmental results and demonstrate how they will contribute to the ultimate goals of healthy communities and ecosystems.
- Link to full announcement (PDF) (46 pp, 237K, About PDF)
Region 5 Wetland Program Development Grant Opportunity
The Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) for Regions, initiated in FY90, provide applicants an opportunity to carry out projects to develop and refine comprehensive wetland programs. The authority for the grant program is Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) which restricts the use of these grant funds to improving wetland programs by conducting or promoting the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. All proposed projects must be linked to environmental results and demonstrate how they will contribute to the ultimate goals of healthy communities and ecosystems.
April 12
EPA Proposes To Amend Mandatory Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Rule
EPA is proposing to amend the Mandatory Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Rule, to require reporters subject to the rule to provide: The name, address, and ownership status of their U.S. parent company; their primary and all other applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s); and an indication of whether or not any of their reported emissions are from a cogeneration unit. The Mandatory GHG Reporting Rule requires greenhouse gas emitting facilities and suppliers of fuels and industrial gases from all sectors of the economy to report their greenhouse gas emissions and to provide certain additional supporting data in annual reports submitted to EPA. Comments must be received on or before June 11, 2010.
April 9
Region 8 Strategic Agricultural Initiative (SAI) Grant Opportunity
EPA Region 8 is seeking applications from eligible organizations that will promote the transition to reduced-risk pest management practices in agriculture to protect human health and the environment.
- Link to full announcement (PDF) (26 pp, 147K, About PDF)
April 7
EPA Announces New Restrictions on Pesticide Phosphide Fumigants To Reduce Risks to Children
EPA is requiring new restrictions on aluminum and magnesium phosphide products to better protect people, especially children, from dangerous exposures. The new restrictions prohibit all uses of the products around residential areas, increase buffer zones for treatment around non-residential buildings that could be occupied by people or animals, and create more protective product labeling. These actions are part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s comprehensive effort to strengthen the agency’s chemical management program and assure the safety of chemicals. Aluminum and magnesium phosphide fumigants are used primarily to control insects in stored grain and other agricultural commodities. They also are used to control burrowing rodents in outdoor agricultural and other non-domestic areas. The fumigants are restricted to use by specially trained pesticide applicators and in only narrow circumstances. EPA is expediting approval of the new labels to reduce the potential for accidental poisonings. The primary manufacturer is voluntarily implementing the changes. EPA will apply these changes to all aluminum and magnesium phosphide products.
Final Cancellation Order Issued for Spirotetramat
On April 5th, EPA issued a final cancellation order for all previously registered spirotetramat products. This cancellation order is in response to the December 23, 2009, order of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York vacating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) registrations (technical and all end-use) of the pesticide spirotetramat due to lack of publication of a notice of receipt of the registration applications in the Federal Register. Pursuant to EPA’s final cancellation order, persons other than the registrant can sell and use existing stocks of the spirotetramat products as long as the use is consistent in all respects with the previously approved labeling. For more information, including a copy of the cancellation order, see the Spirotetramat Web site.
April 6
EPA Proposes Adding More Chemicals to Toxics Release Inventory List
EPA is proposing to add 16 chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals, the first expansion of the program in more than a decade. Established as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), TRI is a publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries as well as federal facilities. The proposal is part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s ongoing efforts to provide communities with more complete information on chemicals. EPA has concluded, based on a review of available studies, that these chemicals could cause cancer in people. The purpose of the proposed addition to TRI reporting requirements is to inform the public about chemical releases in their communities and to provide the government with information for research and potential development of regulations. Comments must be received on or before June 7, 2010.
- More information about the proposed chemicals
- More information about the TRI program
- Federal Register notice
Guidance Available for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act State and Tribal Assistance Grant Program, 2011 - 2013
The Fiscal Year 2011 thru 2013 Joint OPP/OECA FIFRA Cooperative Agreement Guidance is available, for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) Program.
- Complete Guidance (PDF) (163 pp, 1.54MB, About PDF)
Pesticide Registration Requests, Actions, and Tolerance Updates
- Alkyl (C12-C16) dimethyl ammonio acetate (ADAA) -- exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues when used as an inert ingredient (surfactant) in pesticide formulations for pre-harvest uses under 40 CFR 180.920 or applied to animals under 40 CFR 180.930 at a maximum concentration of 20% in pesticide product formulations (April 14)
- Aminopyralid -- establishment of tolerances for residues in or on corn, field, forage; corn, field, grain; and corn, field, stover (April 7)
- Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac -- application to register a pesticide product containing an active ingredient not included in any previously registered pesticide products (April 14)
- Chlorantraniliprole -- four-year extension of the time-limited tolerances for indirect or inadvertent residues in or on grain, cereal, forage, fodder, and straw, group 16; leek; onion, green; onion, Welsh; peanut, hay; shallot; soybean, forage; soybean, hay; and vegetable, leaves of root and tuber, group 2 (April 7)
- Cydia pomonella granulovirus -- product cancellation order (April 14)
- E. coli 0157:H7 bacteriophage -- application requesting an experimental use permit to determine if the efficacy of E. coli 0157:H7 bacteriophage ECP 100 in reducing or eliminating E. coli 0157:H7 contamination of surfaces in controlled laboratory experiments can be replicated under field conditions in a working beef processing plant environment (April 14)
- Flutolanil -- establishment of tolerances for residues in or on cotton and soybean (April 7)
- Kasugamycin -- establishment of a time-limited tolerance for residues in or on apples. The time-limited tolerance expires and is revoked on December 31, 2012 (April 14)
- Malathion, Diquat dibromide -- cancellation order for amendments to terminate uses (April 7)
- Maneb -- order for the cancellation, voluntarily requested by the registrant and accepted by the Agency, of a product (April 16)
- Methamidophos -- proposed registration review decision and opening of public comment period (April 14)
- Methidathion -- requests by the registrants to voluntarily cancel their methidathion registrations. The requests would terminate the last methidathion products registered for use in the United States (April 7)
- Monosodium methanearsonate -- requests by the registrants to voluntarily cancel their registrations containing the organic arsenical monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA) (April 7)
- Nicosulfuron -- establishment of tolerances for residues in or on cattle, fat; cattle, meat; cattle, meat byproducts; goat, fat; goat, meat; goat, meat byproducts; grass, forage; grass, hay; horse, fat; horse, meat; horse, meat byproducts; milk; sheep, fat; sheep, meat; and sheep, meat byproducts. This regulation also removes the existing tolerance for residues of nicosulfuron on corn, forage (April 7)
- Pendimethalin -- amendment to the current tolerance for combined residues of pendimethalin and its metabolite, expressed as pendimethalin equivalents, in or on alfalfa forage (April 7)
- Pesticide chemicals -- withdrawal of petitions proposing the establishment or modification of tolerances for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities (April 14)
- Pesticide products -- requests by registrants to voluntarily cancel certain pesticide registrations (April 7)
- Prohydrojasmon (PDJ) -- petition requesting a temporary exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities (April 7)
- Spirotetramat -- applications for emergency exemptions to treat onion, dry bulb to control thrips; solicitation of public comment (April 7)
- Thifensulfuron methyl -- establishment of a tolerance for residues in or on safflower, seed (April 14)
April 5
National Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center April Newsletter and Webcast
The April edition of the National Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center (LPELC) newsletter is now available. Topics include: May's webcast is on "Composting: A Natural Rendering Process," Website adds Anaerobic Digestion introductory information, Wanted: your anaerobic digester photos, New video on LPELC YouTube channel: "Why Are Animal Feeding Operations Inspected?," National Water Conference proceedings now available, National Poultry Waste Symposium, and UN Admits Flaw in "Livestock's Long Shadow." The next webcast, scheduled for May 19, 2010 at 2:30 pm (Eastern), “Composting: A Natural Rendering Process,” will highlight the process of composting for managing animal carcasses. It will emphasize feedstocks, cold climate management, and in-house composting of catastrophic poultry mortalities. Speakers are: Jean Bonhotal, Cornell University; Tommy Bass, Montana State University; Josh Payne, Oklahoma State University; and Bud Malone, University of Delaware. Moderator is Saqib Mukhtar, Texas AgriLife Extension.
- LPELC April Newsletter (PDF) (2 pp, 56K, About PDF)
- LPELC Webcast Series
April 1
Meeting of the Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee Scheduled
The Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee (MSTRS) provides the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee (CAAAC) with independent advice, counsel and recommendations on the scientific and technical aspects of programs related to mobile source air pollution and motor fuels. Through its various workgroups, the subcommittee addresses a wide range of developments, issues and research areas such as emissions modeling, air toxics, innovative and incentive-based transportation policies, onboard diagnostics, heavy-duty engines, diesel retrofit, fuel sulfur issues, and reformulated gasoline. The subcommittee will meet Tuesday May 4, 2010 in Arlington, VA. The preliminary agenda for the meeting and any notices about change in venue will be posted on the Subcommittee's Web site by April 15.
| To subscribe to the Ag Center News listserve:
If you encounter difficulties subscribing to this list server or if you would like to be taken off the Ag Center News list server at any time, please send an e-mail to the Ag Center at: agcenter@epa.gov. |
This page is sponsored by
EPA's Ag Center. 