Neonicotinoid Assessments for Public Comment

EPA Pesticide Program Updates From EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs www.epa.gov/pesticides December 15, 2017 In This Update: EPA Releases Neonicotinoid Assessments for Public Comment The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing preliminary ecological and human health risk assessments for these neonicotinoid insecticides -- clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran -- and a preliminary ecological risk assessment for imidacloprid, assessing risks to birds, mammals, non-target insects, and plants. Preliminary pollinator-only risk assessments for these chemicals were published for comment in 2016 and 2017, and preliminary human health and ecological assessments (for aquatic species only) for imidacloprid were also released in 2017. The Agency is also releasing new cotton and citrus benefits assessments for foliar applications of the neonicotinoids as well as its response to public comments on the 2014 Benefits of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatment to Soybean Production. These documents are all being made available in the dockets in advance of the forthcoming Federal Register Notice that will open the public comment period. Once the comment period opens, EPA is especially interested in public comment on the benefits for cotton and citrus, since previous assessments identified potential risks to pollinators. We believe early input from the public will be helpful in developing possible mitigation options that may be needed to address risks to bees. Among the benefits identified, the neonicotinoids were found to be critical for management of Asian citrus psyllid -- which causes citrus greening, a devastating pest for citrus growers, and for control of plant bugs and stink bugs in cotton. The Agency encourages stakeholders and interested members of the public to provide comments on these assessments in the dockets linked below. The comment period begins when the Federal Register notice is published and will be open for 60 days. EPA may revise the assessments based on information and comments received. The Agency plans to release the final pollinator risk assessments and proposed interim decisions for these chemicals in mid-2018. Imidacloprid registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0844 Clothianidin registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0865 Thiamethoxam registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0581 Dinotefuran registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0920 We also encourage you to sign up for email alerts from the dockets to be automatically notified when the Agency publishes the next documents for review and comment. EPA distributes its Pesticide Program Updates to external stakeholders and citizens who have expressed an interest in the agency's pesticide program activities and decisions. This update service is part of EPA’s continuing effort to improve public access to federal pesticide information. For general questions about pesticides and pesticide poisoning prevention, contact the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC), by email at npic@ace.orst.edu or, by visiting http://npic.orst.edu. For information about ongoing activities in the Office of Pesticide Programs, visit our homepage at: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides.