USA - California to change pesticides rules

Date:12-19-2023

″This first-of-its-kind system will increase timely, equitable access to information on pesticide use, complementing the department’s stringent regulatory programs to protect people and the environment,″ said DPR Director Julie Henderson. ″We appreciate and value the time and engagement from all stakeholders interested in this system and who engaged with the department over the last two years and continue to provide feedback to inform the design of the system and its associated regulation.″

About the Proposed Regulations

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) regulates all pesticides to protect people and the environment. The state’s robust regulatory system includes scientific evaluations of all pesticides before they can be used or sold in California, continuous evaluation of pesticides to mitigate risks and impacts, and enforcement of pesticide-use laws and regulations in coordination with County Agricultural Commissioners.

DPR proposed regulations on Nov. 3, 2023, to develop a statewide system that would provide information to the public prior to the application of restricted material pesticides. Restricted materials are a classification of pesticides that pose a higher potential risk to human health or the environment. Restricted materials can only be applied by licensed applicators and through a restricted material permitting process, which counties conduct.

DPR’s proposed statewide information system builds on counties’ restricted material permitting processes to provide the public with more transparent and equitable access to information. The system that DPR is developing will provide information about a permitted pesticide before it is applied, including the product name, chemical or active ingredient, application method, time and date of intended application and the location of the application in a one-square mile section. The location information included in DPR’s proposed system is based on the Public Land Survey System’s Township Section Range coordinates, which is used consistently across all California counties.

To inform the proposed regulation and system development, DPR conducted extensive public engagement between 2021 and 2022, hosting four focus groups and eight public meetings at various locations across the state and virtually. County Agricultural Commissioners in four California counties conducted pilot projects in 2022 to test proposed design elements, and UC Davis Center for Regional Change conducted an independent evaluation to review the effectiveness of the pilot projects design and further inform the development of the statewide system.

The proposed system, currently being beta tested, will give the public access to information in Spanish or English in two ways: through an anonymous search function on a web-based map, or by signing-up to receive emails or text messages when a pesticide application is planned near a specified California address.

DPR is hosting three public hearings in December 2023, and a written public comment period through Jan. 12, 2023, to collect public feedback on the proposed regulation to implement this system. Following the end of the public comment period, DPR will share public comments received and responses to public comments on its website.

The system is anticipated to launch following finalization of the proposed regulation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Press release issued on Nov. 3, 2023

• Proposed regulations

• Project updates and public feedback collected 2021-2023