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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Notice.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its approval of thirteen amended certification plans for certifying applicators of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs) from the following certifying authorities: Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC); California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR); Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA); New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC); Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA); Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture (PRDA); U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant, Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS PPQ); U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USDA FS); U.S. Department of Defense (DoD); U.S. Department of Energy (DoE); U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (DOI BLM); Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM); and Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (VIDPNR). The amended plans are consistent with the existing regulatory requirements, including revisions made in 2017 to enhance and improve the competency of certified applicators of RUPs and persons working under their direct supervision. The 2017 regulatory revisions are intended to further reduce potential exposure of RUPs to certified applicators and those working under their direct supervision, other workers, the public, and the environment. Federal, state, territory, and tribal certifying authorities with existing certification plans are required to revise their existing plans to conform with the updated federal standards for RUP applicator certification.
For technical information contact: The designated EPA point of contact for the Certification Plan of interest as listed in Table 1 of Unit I.B.
For general information contact: Carolyn Schroeder, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division (7508M), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 566-2376; email address: s chroeder.carolyn@epa.gov.
You may be potentially affected by this action if you are a federal, state, territory, or tribal agency who administers a certification program for pesticides applicators. You many also be potentially affected by this action if you are: A registrant of RUP products; a person who applies RUPs, including those under the direct supervision of a certified applicator; a person who relies upon the availability of RUPs; someone who hires a certified applicator to apply an RUP; a pesticide safety educator; or other person who provides pesticide safety training for pesticide applicator certification or recertification. 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:
If you have any questions regarding the applicability of this action to a particular entity, consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT .
For assistance in locating documents related to the approved plans identified in this notice, please consult the designated EPA point of contact for the Certification Plan of interest as listed in Table 1 of this unit, or the general contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT .
| EPA region | Certification plan | EPA point of contact | POC phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | VAAFM | Robert Koethe | (617) 918-1535 | koethe.robert@epa.gov. |
| Region 2 | NYSDEC | Tara Glynn | (732) 906-6183 | glynn.tara@epa.gov. |
| PRDA | ||||
| VIDPNR | ||||
| Region 7 | NDA | Shawn Hackett | (913) 551-7774 | hackett.shawn@epa.gov. |
| Region 9 | DPR | Katy Wilcoxen | (415) 947-4205 | wilcoxen.katy@epa.gov. |
| Region 10 | ADEC | Bethany Plewe | (208) 378-5753 | plewe.bethany@epa.gov. |
| ODA | ||||
| Office of Pesticide Programs | USDA APHIS PPQ | Jeanne Kasai | (202) 566-2388 | kasai.jeanne@epa.gov. |
| USDA FS | ||||
| DoD | ||||
| DoE | ||||
| DOI BLM |
Section 11 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7. U.S.C. 136 et seq., requires certifying authorities to have an EPA-approved certification plan to certify applicators of RUPs. The Certification of Pesticide Applicators (CPA) regulation at 40 CFR part 171 was amended in 2017 (Ref. 1). As a result, federal, state, territory, and tribal certifying authorities with existing certification plans were required to revise their existing certification plans to conform with the updated federal standards for the certification of applicators of RUPs and submit their revisions to EPA by March 2020 for EPA review and approval. The CPA regulation specifies that the existing certification plans remain in place until the revised plans are approved by EPA on or before the regulatory deadline established in 40 CFR 171.5. The Agency has since issued a final rule extending the original deadline for certification plans to comply with the updated federal standards under the 2017 CPA rule. State, territory, tribal, and federal authorities can now continue existing applicator certification programs to November 4, 2023 (Ref. 2).
This action gives notice that the following thirteen certifying authorities' certification plans submitted to the Agency meet or exceed the standards of 40 CFR part 171: ADEC, DPR, NDA, NYSDEC, ODA, PRDA, USDA APHIS PPQ, USDA FS, DoD, DoE, DOI BLM, VAAFM and VIDPNR. EPA hereby gives notice that the thirteen amended certification plans for certifying applicators of RUPs listed in this document are now approved plans; the certifying authorities may certify pesticide applicators and continue with implementation of the certification plans as outlined in the approved plans.
These thirteen plans represent the first in a series of batched notifications announcing the approval of the federal, state, territory, and tribal certification plans moving through the approval process. These batched notifications will continue to occur on a regular basis as plans are approved. EPA also provides frequent status updates on its website at https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-worker-safety/certification-standards-pesticide-applicators.
The following is a list of documents that are related to the issuance of this Notice. For assistance in locating these other documents, please consult the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT .
1. EPA. Pesticides; Certification of Pesticide Applicators; Final Rule. Federal Register . 82 FR 952, January 4, 2017 (FRL-9956-70).
2. EPA. EPA. Pesticides; Certification of Pesticide Applicators; Further Extension to Expiration Date of Certification Plans; Final Rule. Federal Register . 87 FR 50953, August 19, 2022 (FRL-9134.1-04-OCSPP).
Authority:7 U.S.C. 136-136y.
Dated: November 15, 2022.
Mary Elissa Reaves,
Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2022-25539 Filed 11-22-22; 8:45 am]
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