2015-25687. Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pesticide Programs is announcing a public meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) on October 21-22, 2015. In addition, EPA is announcing meetings on October 20, 2015, of the following PPDC Workgroups: Integrated Pest Management, Comparative Safety Statements, 21st Century Toxicology/New Integrated Testing Strategies, and Pesticide Incidents. These meetings provide advice and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on issues associated with pesticide regulatory development and reform initiatives, evolving public policy and program implementation issues, and science issues associated with evaluating and reducing risks from use of pesticides.

DATES:

The PPDC meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 21, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Thursday, October 22, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Work Group Meetings: On Tuesday, October 20, 2015, PPDC Work Group meetings are scheduled as follows: Integrated Pest Management Work Group, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Comparative Safety Statements Work Group, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., 21st Century Toxicology/New Integrated Testing Strategies Work Group, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Pesticide Incidents Work Group, 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Agenda: A draft agenda will be posted on or before October 7, 2015.

Accommodations requests: 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 PPDC Meeting and PPDC Work Group meetings will be held at 1 Potomac Yard South, 2777 S. Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA. The PPDC meeting will be held in the lobby-level Conference Center. The PPDC Work Group meetings will be held as follows: Integrated Pest Management Work Group in the fourth floor conference room number N4850-70, Comparative Safety Statements Work Group in the lobby-level Conference Center; 21st Century Toxicology/New Integrated Testing Strategies Work Group in the ninth floor conference room number 9100; and Pesticide Incidents Work Group in the fourth floor conference room number N4830.

EPA's Potomac Yard South Building is approximately 1 mile from the Crystal City Metro Station.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dea Zimmerman, Office of Pesticide Programs (LC-8J), Environmental Protection Agency, 77 W. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604; telephone number: [phone]; email address: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

You may be potentially affected by this action if you work in agricultural settings or if you are concerned about implementation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA); and the amendments to both of these major pesticide laws by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996; the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Potentially affected entities may include, but are not limited to: Agricultural workers and farmers; pesticide industry and trade associations; environmental, consumer, and farm worker groups; pesticide users and growers; animal rights groups; pest consultants; state, local, and tribal governments; academia; public health organizations; and the public. If you have questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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-2015-0669 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], 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

The PPDC is a Federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public Law 92-463. EPA established the PPDC in September 1995 to provide advice and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on issues associated with pesticide regulatory development and reform initiatives, evolving public policy and program implementation issues, and science issues associated with evaluating and reducing risks from use of pesticides. The following sectors are represented on the current PPDC: Environmental/public interest and animal rights groups; farm worker organizations; pesticide industry and trade associations; pesticide user, grower, and commodity groups; Federal and state/local/tribal governments; the general public; academia; and public health organizations.

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

PPDC meetings are free, open to the public, and no advance registration is required. Public comments may be made during the public comment session of each meeting or in writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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

Dated: October 2, 2015.

Marty Monell,

Acting Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.