2015-24550. Environmental Modeling Public Meeting; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

An Environmental Modeling Public Meeting (EMPM) will be held on October 26, 2015. This Notice announces the location and time for the meeting and provides a tentative list of topics to be covered in the meeting. The EMPM provides a public forum for EPA and its stakeholders to discuss current issues related to modeling pesticide fate, transport, and exposure for pesticide risk assessments in a regulatory context.

DATES:

The meeting will be held on October 26, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Requests to participate in the meeting must be received on or before October 15, 2015.

To request accommodation of a disability, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATON CONTACT, preferably at least 10 days prior to the meeting, to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.

ADDRESSES:

The meeting will be held at the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), One Potomac Yard (South Building), First Floor Conference Center (S-1204/6), 2777 S. Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Meridith Fry or R. David Jones, Environmental Fate and Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone numbers: 703-347-0128 and 703-305-6725; fax number: 703-347-8011; email address: [e-mail] and [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

You may be potentially affected by this action if you are required to conduct testing of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), or the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Since other entities may also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be affected by this action. 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:

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting NAICS code 11
• Utilities NAICS code 22
• Professional, Scientific and Technical NAICS code 54

B. How can I get copies of this document and other related information?

The docket for this action, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0879, is available at http://www.regulations.gov or at the Office of Pesticide Programs Regulatory Public Docket (OPP Docket) in the Environmental Protection Agency Docket Center (EPA/DC), West William Jefferson Clinton Bldg., Rm. 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001. The Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is [phone], and the telephone number for the OPP Docket is [phone]. Please review the visitor instructions and additional information about the docket available at http://www.epa.gov/​dockets.

II. Background

On a biannual interval, an Environmental Modeling Public Meeting (EMPM) is held for presentation and discussion of current issues related to modeling pesticide fate, transport, and exposure for risk assessment in a regulatory context. Meeting dates and abstract requests are announced through the “empmlist” forum on the LYRIS list server at https://lists.epa.gov/​read/​all_​forums/​.

III. How can I request to participate in this meeting?

You may submit a request to participate in this meeting to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Do not submit any information in your request that is considered CBI. Requests to participate in the meeting, identified by docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0879, must be received on or before October 15, 2015. Participants can also join the meeting by going to: https://epa.connectsolutions.com/​oct2015empm/​ and enter as a Guest. Participants will then need to call in to the meeting by using the call in number 1-866-299-3188, followed by the conference code [phone].

IV. Tentative Topics for the Meeting

Spatial Aquatic Model

Downstream chemical transport methods

Estuarine scenarios for pesticide risk assessment

PRZM-GW scenario development

Spray drift assessment procedures and refinements

Incorporation of filter strips in exposure assessments

Down-the-drain model development

Endangered species: Probabilistic modeling, population modeling, and refined aquatic exposure methods

New Tools to estimate pesticide exposure and effects for listed aquatic and terrestrial species

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.

Dated: September 18, 2015.

Donald J. Brady,

Director, Environmental Fate and Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.