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EPA Proposes Strategy for Non-PRIA Backlog for Antimicrobials

During a recent Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) Stakeholder Call, Anita Pease, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) director of antimicrobials division (AD), indicated one of the options the agency is exploring to address the existing and sizable backlog of non-PRIA registration actions is to simply “close out” all non-PRIA actions submitted before October 2020, with a 30-day window for registrants to notify AD that they wish to keep these actions open. Non-PRIA actions are those registration actions for which no fee is assessed and typically involve minor amendments to registrations.

Pease noted that AD would not evaluate closed actions, rather those actions would be eliminated from AD’s workload. Nonetheless, registrants would be able to “move forward with the notification changes after 60 days per PRN 98-10.” Under this proposed approach, registrants would have the opportunity to request that older actions remain open during a 30-day window. Pease further noted that EPA would need to coordinate with the states to ensure that the states don’t need it posted on the Pesticide Product Label System (PPLS) or a letter from AD. AD would not provide a list of those notifications to companies, but companies would be responsible for identifying the actions that they wish to remain under AD review.

AD is also pursuing plans to reduce the number of amendments in the backlog, with plans to send a letter to companies listing old actions. Companies would then be able to tell EPA which actions could be withdrawn. AD plans to pair these actions with process improvements to address the division’s backlog and new submissions. 

Your feedback is requested – ISSA encourages your feedback, reaction, comments, etc. on the aforementioned proposal. Please share your reaction to this proposal at your earliest convenience via email to Bill Balek, ISSA General Counsel.