US: Duplicative pesticide registration fixed in Sportsmen's bill

The U.S. Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee advanced the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015, which also includes a clarification that federal law does not require a redundant permit for already regulated pesticide applications.
 

The committee’s approval of this legislation is the final hurdle before the bill moves to the Senate floor for consideration. The pesticide clarification amendment — previously introduced as stand-alone legislation S. 1500, the Sensible Environmental Protection Act — was adopted by a vote of 12-8 at a markup in the Senate EPW Committee.
 

Sen. Deb Fischer (R., Neb.), who serves as vice chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and was an original co-sponsor of this legislation, was pleased to see that the final bill included an identical version of her legislation targeting duplicative pesticide permits.
 

Pesticide users currently are subjected to the court-created requirement that lawful applications over, to or near "waters of the U.S." obtain a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit from the Environmental Protection Agency or delegated states.
 

According to a letter of nearly 100 organizations that support the amendment, “Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act, all pesticides are reviewed and regulated for use with strict instructions on the EPA-approved product label. A thorough review and accounting of impacts to water quality and aquatic species is included in every EPA review. Requiring water permits for pesticide applications is redundant and provides no additional environmental benefit.”
 

Fischer noted that EPA already regulates pesticides through strict instructions on product labels. In a statement, she said the additional permitting requirements provide no environmental or water quality benefits, yet obtaining these permits costs farmers and their families more than $50 million a year.
 

The Sportsmen's Act includes a broad array of bipartisan measures to enhance opportunities for hunters, anglers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The bill would also improve access to public lands, reauthorize key conservation programs and help boost the outdoor recreation economy.