Cancellation of Pesticides for Non-Payment of Year 2016 Registration Maintenance Fees; Summary of Orders Issued

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the payment of an annual maintenance fee is required to keep pesticide registrations in effect. The fee due last January 15, 2016, has gone unpaid for 314 registrations. If the fee is not paid, the EPA Administrator may cancel these registrations by order and without a hearing; orders to cancel these registrations have been issued.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mick Yanchulis, Information Technology and Resources Management Division (7502P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 347-0237; email address: yanchulis.michael@epa.gov.

Product-specific status inquiries may be made by calling toll-free, 1-800-444-7255.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this action apply to me?

This action is directed to the public in general. Although this action may be of particular interest to persons who produce or use pesticides, the Agency has not attempted to describe all the specific entities that may be affected by this action.

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-2016-0548, 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 (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPP Docket is (703) 305-5805. Please review the visitor instructions and additional information about the docket available at http://www.epa.gov/dockets.

Complete lists of registrations canceled for non-payment of the maintenance fee are also available for reference in the OPP Docket.

II. Background

Section 4(i)(5) of FIFRA (7 U.S.C. 136a-1(i)(5)) requires that all pesticide registrants pay an annual registration maintenance fee, due by January 15 of each year, to keep their registrations in effect. This requirement applies to all registrations granted under FIFRA section 3 (7 U.S.C. 136a) as well as those granted under FIFRA section 24(c) (7 U.S.C. 136v(c)) to meet special local needs. Registrations for which the fee is not paid are subject to cancellation by order and without a hearing.

Under FIFRA, the EPA Administrator may reduce or waive maintenance fees for minor agricultural use pesticides when it is determined that the fee would be likely to cause significant impact on the availability of the pesticide for the use.

In fiscal year 2016, maintenance fees were collected in one billing cycle. In late October of 2015, all holders of either FIFRA section 3 registrations or FIFRA section 24(c) registrations were sent lists of their active registrations, along with forms and instructions for responding. They were asked to identify which of their registrations they wished to maintain in effect, and to calculate and remit the appropriate maintenance fees. Most responses were received by the statutory deadline of January 15. A notice of intent to cancel was sent in April of 2016 to companies who did not respond and to companies who responded, but paid for less than all of their registrations. Since mailing the notices of intent to cancel, EPA has maintained a toll-free inquiry number through which the questions of affected registrants have been answered.

In fiscal year 2016, the Agency has waived the fee for 304 minor agricultural use registrations at the request of the registrants. Maintenance fees have been paid for about 15,921 FIFRA section 3 registrations, or about 96% of the registrations on file in October 2015. Fees have been paid for about 1,901 FIFRA section 24(c) registrations, or about 87% of the total on file in October 2015. Cancellations for non-payment of the maintenance fee affect about 307 FIFRA section 3 registrations and about 7 FIFRA section 24(c) registrations.

The cancellation orders generally permit registrants to continue to sell and distribute existing stocks of the canceled products until January 15, 2017, 1 year after the date on which the fee was due. Existing stocks already in the hands of dealers or users, however, can generally be distributed, sold, or used legally until they are exhausted. Existing stocks are defined as those stocks of a registered pesticide product which are currently in the United States and which have been packaged, labeled, and released for shipment prior to the effective date of the cancellation order.

The exceptions to these general rules are cases where more stringent restrictions on sale, distribution, or use of the products have already been imposed, through special reviews or other Agency actions. These general provisions for disposition of stocks should serve in most cases to cushion the impact of these cancellations while the market adjusts.

III. Listing of Registrations Canceled for Non-Payment

Table 1 of this unit lists all of the FIFRA section 24(c) registrations, and Table 2 of this unit lists all of the FIFRA section 3 registrations which were canceled for non-payment of the 2016 maintenance fee. These registrations have been canceled by order and without hearing. Cancellation orders were sent to affected registrants via certified mail in the past several days. The Agency is unlikely to rescind cancellation of any particular registration unless the cancellation resulted from Agency error.

IV. Provisions for Disposition of Existing Stocks

The effective date of cancellation will be the date of the cancellation order. The orders effecting these requested cancellations will generally permit a registrant to sell or distribute existing stocks until January 15, 2017, 1 year after the date on which the fee was due.

Existing stocks are those stocks of registered pesticide products which are currently in the United States and which have been packaged, labeled, and released for shipment prior to the effective date of the cancellation order. Unless the provisions of an earlier order apply, existing stocks already in the hands of dealers or users can be distributed, sold, or used legally until they are exhausted, provided that such further sale and use comply with the EPA-approved label and labeling of the affected product. Exception to these general rules will be made in specific cases when more stringent restrictions on sale, distribution, or use of the products or their ingredients have already been imposed, as in a special review action, or where the Agency has identified significant potential risk concerns associated with a particular chemical.

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