The U.S. House of Representatives approved bipartisan legislation to eliminate an unnecessary, duplicative and costly regulatory process under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the approved use of pesticides.
HR 953, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2017, ensures states, local governments, mosquito control districts and other lawful users of pesticides are able to protect public health and not be overburdened with regulatory processes that provide no additional protections to the environment.
U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), the sponsor of HR 953, said the consequences of this “duplicative” and “unnecessary” regulation have prevented cities and local governments from conducting routine preventative mosquito abatement since it went into effect in 2011.
“For too long, American farmers and ranchers have been forced to comply with a costly and duplicative pesticide permitting process,” Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) said. “Pesticides are already fully regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), but a misguided court interpretation has required additional permitting, unnecessarily costing producers both time and money. I applaud the approval of Mr. Gibbs’ commonsense bill to remove this additional hurdle and look forward to giving farmers and applicators much-needed relief from this needless regulation.”
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) wrote in support of the bill to bring regulatory relief to farmers and ranchers.
AFBF applauds the bipartisan support for the Act in the House, and is now calling on the U.S. Senate to consider and pass the legislation.
AFBF Senior Regulatory Relations Director Don Parrish says the act clarifies that pesticides are regulated under FIFRA.
In an interview with AFBF’s Newsline, Parrish said the issue extends beyond farmers and ranchers.
“This is something that is clearly not only creating problems for farmers and ranchers, but also creating problems for public health agencies where they have to control vectors and mosquitos,” Parrish said. “So, we think this is something that is needed, we think it’s something that is bipartisan and we think this is something that clearly is in the right direction.”
The Act now moves to the Senate. Newsline reports Parrish expects the legislation to be considered by the Senate and Public Works Committee.
“We’re going to have to do a lot of work there to make sure that this makes it into law,” Parrish said. “Whether we move it as an amendment to another piece of legislation, or whether we move it as stand-alone, we’ve got to work very hard to make sure that we have 60 votes in the Senate.”