Notice2026-08623
Information Collection: Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for Wildland Fire Management
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 4, 2026
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentForest Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the renewal of a currently approved information collection, Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for Wildland Fire Management.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 85 (Monday, May 4, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 85 (Monday, May 4, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23940-23941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08623]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection: Qualified Products Lists for Fire
Chemicals for Wildland Fire Management
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
organizations on the renewal of a currently approved information
collection, Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for Wildland
Fire Management.
DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before July 6, 2026
to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will
be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to
Hunter Jones, Fire Chemicals Branch Chief, USDA Forest Service,
National Technology and Development Program, (NTDP), 5785 Highway 10 W,
Missoula, MT 59808 or at (406) 829-6810.
Comments also may be submitted via email to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f39b869d879681dd999c9d9680b386809792dd949c85"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e189948f958493cf8b8e8f8492a194928580cf868e97">[email protected]</span></a>.
Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available to
the public through relevant websites and upon request. For this reason,
please do not include in your comments information of a confidential
nature, such as sensitive personal information or proprietary
information. If you send an email comment, your email address will be
automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is
placed in the public docket and made available on the internet. Please
note that responses to this public comment request containing any
routine notice about the confidentiality of the communication will be
treated as public comments that may be made available to the public
notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine notice.
The public may inspect the draft supporting statement and/or
comments received at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), Jack
Wilson Building, in Boise, Idaho during normal business hours. Visitors
are encouraged to call ahead to (208) 387-5512 to facilitate entry to
the building. The public may request an electronic copy of the draft
supporting statement and/or any comments received be sent via return
email. Requests should be emailed to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#68001d061c0d1a460207060d1b281d1b0c09460f071e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1c74697268796e32767372796f5c696f787d327b736a">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bryon Lake, National Technology and
Development Program, (NTDP) at (406) 829-6814 or Hunter Jones at (406)
829-6810. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1 (800)
877-8339 twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, including
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Qualified Products Lists for Fire Chemicals for Wildland
Fire Management.
OMB Number: 0596-0182.
Expiration Date of Approval: N/A.
Type of Request: Reinstatement without change of a previously
approved information collection.
Abstract: The Forest Service and cooperating wildland firefighting
agencies need adequate types and quantities of qualified fire chemical
products available to accomplish fire management activities as safely
and effectively as possible. To accomplish this objective, the Agency
evaluates and pre-qualifies commercial wildland firefighting chemicals.
The Agency is required to submit the formulations to the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
Fisheries during the evaluation process. All products must meet the
requirements of specifications identified and maintained by the
Wildland Fire Chemical Systems (WFCS) staff at the National Technology
& Development Program (NTDP). After a product evaluation has been
completed successfully, the product is added to the Qualified Products
List (QPL) for the appropriate product type. All Federal procurements
of wildland fire chemicals are made from these lists.
To initiate an evaluation, product manufacturers (or authorized
suppliers) enter into an agreement with the Forest Service and pay all
costs associated with the submission and evaluation of the product.
Once the agreement is in place and funds are deposited to cover the
associated costs, the manufacturer submits the following information to
WFCS:
1. List of the specific ingredients and quantity used to prepare
the product;
2. Identification of a specific company as the source of supply for
each ingredient;
3. Copies of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the product and for
each ingredient used to prepare the product (from the company that
supplies that chemical); and
4. Specific mixing requirements and performance information.
Review of the submitted information assures that the product does
not contain ingredients meeting the criteria for Chemicals of Concern.
Chemicals of Concern are defined as chemicals appearing on one or more
of the following lists:
<bullet> Agency list of unacceptable ingredients;
<bullet> National Toxicology Program (NTP) Annual Report on
Carcinogens;
<bullet> International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
Monographs for Potential Carcinogen;
<bullet> Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (CERCLA) List of Extremely Hazardous Substances and Their
Threshold Planning Quantities;
<bullet> Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Acutely
Hazardous and Toxic Wastes; and
<bullet> Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know (EPCRA),
Toxic Release Inventory.
A risk assessment, performed at the manufacturer expense, is
required.
The risk assessment, performed by a third party selected by the
Agency, assesses the products and levels of ingredients found in
typical applications relative to human and environmental impact.
Each product submitted is tested to determine the mammalian and
aquatic toxicity of the product and must meet specific levels of
performance to minimize potential risk during firefighting operations
and cannot exceed establish thresholds. Additional tests are performed
to determine the effectiveness of the product to reduce the rate of
spread, flame-length, and intensity of the fire by application directly
on or near the fire. A number of product characteristics are measured
over the operational performance range of the product to ensure that
the product meets the needs of the firefighters in the field.
The collection of this information for each product submission is
necessary, due to the length of time needed to test the product (16 to
18 months) and the need to ensure that products do not pose a hazard
for laboratory personnel during the evaluation process or field
[[Page 23941]]
personnel who mix and load the product prior to purchase and use. This
information collection and the product evaluation must be conducted on
an ongoing basis to ensure the Agency can solicit and award contracts
in a timely manner to provide firefighters with safe and effective
wildland fire chemical products.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 4.5 hours.
Type of Respondents: Businesses (manufacturers and suppliers) of
fire chemicals for wildland fire management.
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 5.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 3.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 69 hours.
Comment Is Invited
Comment is invited on: (1) whether this collection of information
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the
functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the Agency's
estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, including the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
All comments received in response to this notice, including names
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record.
Comments will be summarized and included in the submission request
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.
Adam Mendonca,
Deputy Director WO Fire and Aviation Management.
[FR Doc. 2026-08623 Filed 5-1-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 4, 2026.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.