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<ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY>

<[EPA–HQ–OPP–2008–0522; FRL–XXXX–X]>

 

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

<<AGENCY:> <Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).>>

<<ACTION:> <Notice.>>

<<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 <[insert date] 30 days
after date of publication in the> <Federal Register>>>

<<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 “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 <  HYPERLINK
"http://www.regulations.gov"  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
Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y
Alimentatíon (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.>

<>

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<<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.>>

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<<Dated: <__________>>

<>

<<___________________>>

<>

<Director, Office of Pesticide Programs>>>

<>

<[FR Doc. 08–????? Filed ??–??–08; 8:45 am]>

<BILLING CODE 6560–50–S>>>

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