Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Certification of Pesticide Applicators (Renewal)

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an information collection request (ICR), Certification of Pesticide Applicators (EPA ICR Number 0155.17, OMB Control Number 2070-0029) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through August 31, 2026. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register on November 18, 2025 during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 165 (Thursday, August 27, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 165 (Thursday, August 27, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55339-55340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17466]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-OPP-2021-0288; FRL-13604-01-OFA]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Certification of Pesticide Applicators (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Certification of Pesticide 
Applicators (EPA ICR Number 0155.17, OMB Control Number 2070-0029) to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. This is a proposed 
extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through August 31, 
2026. Public comments were previously requested via the Federal 
Register on November 18, 2025 during a 60-day comment period. This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments may be submitted on or before September 28, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OPP-2021-0288, to EPA online using <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (our preferred 
method), or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection 
Agency, Mail Code 2821T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 
20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the

[[Page 55340]]

proposed information collection within 30 days of publication of this 
notice to <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn Siu, Office of Program 
Support, (Mail Code 7602M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-
1205; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b78627e25686a79646772654b6e7b6a256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aad9c3df84c9cbd8c5c6d3c4eacfdacb84cdc5dc">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed extension of the ICR, 
which is currently approved through August 31, 2026. An agency may not 
conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.
    Public comments were previously requested via the Federal Register 
on November 18, 2025 during a 60-day comment period (90 FR 51748). This 
notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments. Supporting 
documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be 
collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket 
can be viewed online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> or in person at the EPA 
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit 
<a href="http://www.epa.gov/dockets">http://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>.
    Abstract: EPA administers certification programs for pesticide 
applicators under section 11 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). FIFRA allows EPA to classify a pesticide as 
``restricted use'' if the pesticide meets certain toxicity or risk 
criteria. The regulations in 40 CFR part 171 include procedures for 
certification programs for States, Federal agencies, Indian tribes, or 
U.S. territories who wish to develop and implement their own 
certification plans and programs, after obtaining EPA approval. This 
ICR addresses the paperwork activities performed by respondents to 
comply with training and certification requirements associated with 
applicators of restricted use pesticides (RUPs). Due to the potential 
of improperly applied RUPs to harm human health or the environment, 
pesticides under this classification may be purchased and applied only 
by ``certified applicators'' or by persons under the direct supervision 
of certified applicators. Currently all 50 states, the District of 
Columbia, 6 territories, 4 tribes and 5 federal agencies are authorized 
to run their own certification programs within their jurisdictions, but 
each agency's certification plan must be approved by EPA before it can 
be implemented. Agencies authorized by EPA to administer a 
certification program are collectively referred to as ``authorized 
agencies.'' In areas where no authorized agency has jurisdiction, EPA 
may administer a certification program directly, (e.g., Federal 
program). Federal programs require RUP dealers to maintain records of 
RUP sales and to report and update their names and addresses with the 
pesticide regulatory agency for enforcement purposes. This ICR also 
addresses how registrants of certain pesticide products are expected to 
perform specific, special paperwork activities, to comply with the 
terms and conditions of the pesticide registration (e.g., registrants 
of anthrax-related pesticide products).
    The ICR, which is available in the docket along with other related 
materials, provides a detailed explanation of the collection activities 
and the burden estimate that is only briefly summarized here:
    Form Numbers: 8500-17 and PFN-3400-5.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by 
this ICR include agricultural establishments, pest control officials, 
pesticide registrants, pesticide dealers, and administrators of 
environmental protection programs, governmental pest control programs, 
pesticide applicator certification programs (e.g., authorized 
agencies), and RUP dealers (only for EPA administrated programs). North 
American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes are identified 
in question 12 of the ICR supporting statement.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory, FIFRA sections 3 and 
11, and 40 CFR part 171.
    Estimated number of respondents: 2,722,243 (total).
    Frequency of response: On occasion.
    Total estimated burden: 3,350,305 hours (per year). Burden is 
defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $165,574,064 (per year), which includes $0 
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is decrease of 309,989 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is due to updated burden estimates. 
Respondents are now familiar with the regulations and certifying 
authorities have moved from the intensive 2017 update process into the 
easier implementation phase of updating their certification programs. 
During this phase, certifying authorities may experience some paperwork 
burden if modifications to approved plans are needed, though these 
changes would only occur on an as-needed basis and are more limited in 
scale compared to the previous burden estimates. These changes are 
adjustments.

Courtney Kerwin,
Deputy Director, Data and Enterprise Programs Division.
[FR Doc. 2026-17466 Filed 8-26-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


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