U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NOAA Fisheries Solicit Public Input on Conservation Agreements Policy under the Endangered Species Act
Dec 12th
FWS posted the following notice on one of its websites:
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the NOAA Fisheries are actively working to engage conservation partners and the public in the search for improved and innovative ways to conserve and protect imperiled species, even before they are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The agencies are committed to strengthening the delivery of voluntary conservation tools, such as Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances (CCAA), by making it easier to work together on conservation efforts, thus are soliciting public review and comment on whether to revise the existing CCAA policy and accompanying regulations.
Department of Commerce Discusses Reform of ESA Consultation in Response to Executive Order 13783
Nov 16th
President Trump’s Executive Order 13783 “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth” requires that
“The heads of agencies shall review all existing regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, and any other similar agency actions (collectively, agency actions) that potentially burden the development or use of domestically produced energy resources, with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy resources. Such review shall not include agency actions that are mandated by law, necessary for the public interest, and consistent with the policy set forth in section 1 of this order.”
SAP Meets to Consider Charges for Endocrine Disruption Review
Nov 1st
EPA’s Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Scientific Advisory Panel will meet to review and consider the scope and clarity of the draft charge questions for the November 28–30, 2017 SAP Meeting on the Continuing Development of Alternative High-Throughput Screens to Determine Endocrine Disruption, Focusing on Androgen Receptor, Steroidogenesis, and Thyroid Pathways. The meeting will be held on Monday, November 6, 2017 from approximately 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). This is an open public meeting that will be conducted via webcast using Adobe Connect and telephone. Registration is required to attend this meeting. Please visit here to register. Click here for more detail and relevant links.
PBPK SAP Postponed
Oct 24th
EPA is postponing the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel meeting scheduled for October 24-27, 2017 due to the unavailability of experts for the peer review panel. Given the importance of physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling in the review of the six chemical risk assessments being considered, the Agency believes that additional expertise in modeling and human health risk assessment will benefit the panel. The postponement will also allow for a more robust review of these data. As a result, the SAP meeting on PBPK modeling is being postponed to 2018. The Agency will issue another announcement once the new date for the SAP meeting on PBPK Modeling has been determined.
PPDC Meets in November
Oct 12th
Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticide Programs has announced a public meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee on November 1-2, 2017. This meeting provides 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 meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Thursday, November 2, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Click here for more information and relevant links.
Webcast Meeting To Clarify PBPK SAP Charge Questions
Sep 28th
There will be a three-hour meeting of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel (to review and consider the scope and clarity of the draft charge questions for the October 24–27, 2017 SAP Meeting on physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to address pharmacokinetic differences between and within species.
The meeting will be held on October 2, 2017, from approximately 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). This is an open public meeting that will be conducted via webcast using Adobe Connect and telephone. Registration is required to attend this meeting. Click here to register. Written comments on the scope and clarity of the draft charge questions should be submitted by noon on September 27, 2017.
EPA Seeks comment on Proposed Changes to Notifications, Non-notifications and Minor Formulation Amendments
Sep 12th
EPA recently published the following notice:
“Updated Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Procedures for Notifications and Minor Amendments Now Open for Public Comment
On September 6, 2017, EPA issued a Federal Register Notice announcing proposed updates to Pesticide Registration Notice (PRN) 98-10, “Notifications, Non-notifications and Minor Formulation Amendments.” This notice provides guidance to registrants submitting minor modifications to a registration that do not require extensive EPA review and do not have the potential to cause unreasonable adverse effects to the environment.
CRE Comments to NMFS on ESA Pesticide Consultations
Aug 22nd
On August 21, 2017, the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness filed comments with U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service addressing ESA Section 7 consultations among NMFS, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the Fish and Wildlife Service during pesticide registration review and registration. NMFS requested such comments as part of NMFS’ streamlining of its regulatory processes and reduction of its regulatory burden. CRE’s comments included the following executive summary (footnotes omitted):
“These CRE comments address ESA Section 7 consultations among NMFS, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (“FWS”) (referred to collectively as “the Agencies”) during pesticide registration review and registration.
SAP Changes Comment Periods for High-Throughput Screens SAP
Aug 2nd
EPA has published revised dates for the comment periods for written comments and for comments on nominees for ad hoc members of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, Scientific Advisory Panel reviewing the Continuing Development of Alternative High-Throughput Screens to Determine Endocrine Disruption, Focusing on Androgen Receptor, Steroidogenesis, and Thyroid Pathways.
This 3-day SAP meeting will be held on November 28 to November 30, 2017, from approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as first announced in the Federal Register of June 6, 2017 (82 FR 26097; FRL-9962-79).
SAP on Alternative High-Throughput EDSP Screens
Jul 13th
There will be a 3-day public meeting of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act Scientific Advisory Panel to consider and review the “Continuing Development of Alternative High-Throughput Screens to Determine Endocrine Disruption, Focusing on Androgen Receptor, Steroidogenesis, and Thyroid Pathways”.
The meeting will be held on November 28, 2017 to November 30, 2017, from approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The meeting will be held at the Environmental Protection Agency, Conference Center, Lobby Level, One Potomac Yard (South Bldg.), 2777 S. Crystal Dr., Arlington, VA 22202.