[Federal Register: July 23, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 142)]
[Notices]               
[Page 42798-42799]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23jy08-43]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0522; FRL-8373-3]

 
North American Free Trade Agreement Technical Working Group on 
Pesticides; Proposed Five-Year Strategy, 2008-2013; Notice of 
Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA is releasing for public comment the proposed Five-Year 
Strategy, 2008-2013, of the North American Free Trade Agreement 
Technical Working Group on Pesticides. In this document, the North 
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Technical Working Group (TWG) on 
Pesticides states its goal to create an aligned North American 
registration system for pesticides and products treated with pesticides 
and make work-sharing a way of doing business. The strategic objectives 
are to: provide U.S., Canadian and Mexican growers with equal access 
to--and at the same time introduction of--pest management tools, 
including safer alternatives; work cooperatively to re-evaluate and 
reregister older pesticides using each country's re-evaluation programs 
to the fullest extent possible to increase efficiency; and integrate 
smart business approaches and practices into NAFTA TWG work.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 18, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification 
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0522, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Regulatory Public 
Docket (7502P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001.
     Delivery: OPP Regulatory Public Docket (7502P), 
Environmental Protection Agency, Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South 
Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. Deliveries are only 
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation (8:30 a.m. to 4 
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays). Special 
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information. The 
Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 305-5805.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-
2008-0522. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the docket without change and may be made available on-line at 
http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you 
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The regulations.gov website is an

[[Page 42799]]

``anonymous access'' system, which means EPA will not know your 
identity or contact information unless you provide it in the body of 
your comment. If you send an e-mail comment directly to EPA without 
going through regulations.gov, your e-mail address will be 
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is 
placed in the docket and made available on the Internet. If you submit 
an electronic comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and 
other contact information in the body of your comment and with any disk 
or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical 
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be 
able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of 
special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects 
or viruses.
    Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index 
available in regulations.gov. To access the electronic docket, go to 
http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Advanced Search,'' then ``Docket 
Search.'' Insert the docket ID number where indicated and select the 
``Submit'' button. Follow the instructions on the regulations.gov 
website to view the docket index or access available documents. 
Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly 
available, e.g., CBI or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted 
material, is not placed on the Internet and will be publicly available 
only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket materials are 
available either in the electronic docket at http://
www.regulations.gov, or, if only available in hard copy, at the OPP 
Regulatory Public Docket in Rm. S-4400, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 
2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA. The hours of operation of this 
Docket Facility are from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The Docket Facility telephone number is (703) 
305-5805.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorry Frigerio, Field and External 
Affairs Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-
0001; telephone number: 703-605-0654; fax number: 703-308-1850; e-mail 
address: frigerio.lorry@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    You may be potentially affected by this action if you are a U.S., 
Canadian or Mexican grower, registrant, researcher, manufacturer, 
operator, distributor or government regulator of pesticide products in 
one of the NAFTA countries, as well as an public group or member of the 
public interested in their use.
    If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this 
action to a particular entity, consult the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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 e-mail. 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 submitting comments, 
remember to:
    i. Identify the document by docket ID number and other identifying 
information (subject heading, Federal Register date and page number).
    ii. Follow directions. The Agency may ask you to respond to 
specific questions or organize comments by referencing a Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) part or section number.
    iii. Explain why you agree or disagree; suggest alternatives and 
substitute language for your requested changes.
    iv. Describe any assumptions and provide any technical information 
and/or data that you used.
    v. If you estimate potential costs or burdens, explain how you 
arrived at your estimate in sufficient detail to allow for it to be 
reproduced.
    vi. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns and 
suggest alternatives.
    vii. Explain your views as clearly as possible, avoiding the use of 
profanity or personal threats.
    viii. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period 
deadline identified.

II. What Action is the Agency Taking?

    The Agency is releasing for public comment the proposed Five-Year 
Strategy, 2008-2013, of the North American Free Trade Agreement 
Technical Working Group on Pesticides. It can be found in docket ID 
number EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0522. EPA and its North American counterparts, 
Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Canada and 
Secretar[iacute]a de Agricultura, Ganader[iacute]a, Desarrollo Rural, 
Pesca y Alimentat[iacute]on (SAGARPA) of Mexico, provide overall 
guidance and policy direction in developing easier and less expensive 
pesticide regulation and trade among the three countries and in meeting 
the environmental, ecological and human health objectives of NAFTA.
    The Five-Year Strategy will guide the TWG's future work and 
direction. It reflects the collective goal of creating an aligned North 
American registration system for pesticides and for products treated 
with pesticides as well as a commitment to partners. It also presents 
the NAFTA TWG governance structure. The environment within which the 
TWG operates is constantly changing. A number of drivers, both external 
and internal, are critical in influencing TWG's strategic directions. 
They define the work that the TWG must deliver to meet stakeholder 
needs and improve overall outcomes. The TWG aims to ensure it is well 
positioned to take advantage of opportunities, monitor trends and 
assess implications.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, harmonization of data requirements, human 
safety and science issues, effective communication and planning, 
maintaining high international standards, performance measurement and 
evaluation.

    Dated: July 11, 2008.
 Debra Edwards,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E8-16381 Filed 7-16-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-S