Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and ranking member Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) have introduced legislation that "aims to clarify that additional permits are not required for pesticide application in accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA)," according to a joint statement.
The bill would "bring legal and regulatory certainty for our farmers, foresters and ranchers regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's recent actions related to the Clean Water Act," says the statement.
The bill would establish that producers who are in compliance with FIFRA requirements do not need to obtain Clean Water Act permits. "The bill will protect public health and safeguard the environment by ensuring that producers are in strict compliance with FIFRA while simultaneously eliminating duplicative regulatory obligations that would be imposed if Clean Water Act permits are required," says the statement.
"Subjecting our farmers, foresters, and ranchers to an additional layer of bureaucracy under the Clean Water Act was never Congress' intent," said Lincoln . "During the more than 35 years since the enactment of the Clean Water Act, EPA has never required a permit for the application of FIFRA-registered crop protection products. Our bill would extend this common-sense approach and avoid duplicative, unnecessary burdens on our farmers, foresters, and ranchers."
The bill would establish that producers who are in compliance with FIFRA requirements do not need to obtain Clean Water Act permits. "The bill will protect public health and safeguard the environment by ensuring that producers are in strict compliance with FIFRA while simultaneously eliminating duplicative regulatory obligations that would be imposed if Clean Water Act permits are required," says the statement.
During the more than 35 years since the enactment of the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has never required a Clean Water Act permit for the application of FIFRA-registered farm chemicals. The FIFRA Paperwork Reduction Act will prevent EPA from doing so in the future.
