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The agency said that unless a request is withdrawn by May 7, 2007, orders will be issued to cancel the registrations. As for registrations listed in the notice for which the registrant requested a waiver of the 180-day comment period, a request must be withdrawn by Dec. 8, 2006, otherwise orders will be issued to cancel the registrations.
Comments must be received on or before May 7, 2007 (or Dec. 8, 2006, for those registrations where the 180-day comment period has been waived).
Among the pesticides at issue are carbaryls, molinates, sodium chlorate, pyrethrins, and dimethylamine salts.
Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), a registrant of a pesticide product may request at any time that any of its pesticide registrations be cancelled. FIFRA also provides that, before acting on the request, EPA must publish a notice of receipt of any such request in the Federal Register and provide for a 30-day public comment period.
In addition, where a pesticide is registered for a minor agricultural use and the EPA determines that cancellation or termination of that use would adversely affect the availability of the pesticide, EPA normally must provide a 180-day comment period before acting unless it determines that continued use of the pesticide would cause unreasonable harm to the environment.
Reasons for Cancellations Vary
Pesticide companies occasionally ask that product registrations be cancelled due to concerns regarding a product's safety or effectiveness.
In other cases, it is simply a business decision. "Propanil is no longer sold or marketed by BASF, and as a result we've voluntarily allowed the registration to be cancelled," Mark Stephenson, director of corporate communications at BASF Corp.--one of the firms requesting cancellations under this notice--said.
Registrations also might not be needed because they become duplicative. For example, according to Syngenta representative Sherry Ford, propiconazole had a FIFRA Section 24(C) "special local need" registration. However, the chemical now has a supplemental FIFRA Section 3 label that also covers the same use, so the Section 24(C) registration is no longer needed.
For more information, contact John Jamula, EPA Information Technology and Resources Management Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460; telephone: (703) 305-6426; or by e-mail: jamula.john@epa.gov.