CPDA Submits Comments on EPA's Draft Pesticide General Permit:  On July 16, 2010, CPDA submitted comments to EPA on the Agency’s “Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit (PGP) for Point Source Discharges from the Application of Pesticides.” The draft PGP was issued in response to a January 2009 Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that vacated EPA’s 2006 rule exempting from NPDES permitting mandates those pesticide applications made to, over, or near waters of the United States as long as they are made in accordance with FIFRA labeling requirements. Revocation of the EPA rule is currently subject to a two-year stay of the federal Appeals Court decision that will lift on April 9, 2011. In its comments, CPDA called upon EPA to clarify what conveyances are subject to the PGP by providing specific examples of the most obvious conveyances that are covered or not covered and why. CPDA also asked that EPA clarify compliance and enforcement expectations for operators jointly sharing permit obligations. In addition, CPDA recommended that EPA modify the draft PGP to include language that would direct applicators to minimize pesticide discharges to waters of the U.S. by maintaining, calibrating, and operating equipment so that the appropriate quantity of pesticide is delivered to best control the target pest consistent with the FIFRA label, manufacturers’ specifications for equipment precision, weather conditions of the day, and in accordance with their best professional judgment. CPDA also emphasized that EPA should be prepared to revise its economic analysis if the Agency’s ongoing Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation with the Services result in potentially costly restrictions and performance requirements being added to the draft PGP prior to its finalization. Finally, CPDA urged EPA to work with the Court to extend the compliance deadline if it appears the PGP and State counterpart permits will not be available when the stay lifts in April 2011.  Please click here to read the comments submitted by CPDA.  

EPA Posts Online Pesticide Label Training Tutorial on its Web Site:  EPA has posted on its web site an online pesticide label tutorial aimed at training EPA employees whose job includes the review of labels as part of the registration process.  In announcing the online tutorial, the Agency states that pesticide industry employees who develop labels for submission to EPA will also benefit from the training as the material will give these individuals a better understanding of what constitutes an acceptable label.  The online training course is divided into five modules as follows:  Label Basics, Parts of the Label, Special Issues, Applying the Principles of Pesticide Label Review, and Emerging Issues and Course Completion.  The five modules track the key concepts and requirements set forth in EPA's Label Review Manual.  EPA states that the entire training can be completed in one or two sittings.  Individuals may come back to the training tutorial where they left off.  A quiz is provided at the end of the tutorial to help individuals assess their basic comprehension of the key labeling concepts covered in the training course.  To take the labeling training course, visit EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/labels/pest-label-training/module1/index.html.

Updated "Blue Book" Now Available on EPA's Web Site:  An updated version of the Pesticide Registration Manual, also known as the "Blue Book," is now available on EPA's web site.  The manual describes EPA's review and decision making process for registering a pesticide product and its use.  Detailed information for pesticide registrants concerning their responsibilities before, during and after the review process is also included in the manual.  EPA is hoping to make available in the near future an electronic version of the "Blue Book" in PDF format.  The Agency intends to make subsequent updates to individual chapters of the manual as needed.  The "Blue Book" may be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/registrationmanual/.

CPDA Staffing News:  CPDA is pleased to announce that John Boling has joined the staff as Director of Legislative Affairs. John replaces the former Director, Billy Taylor, who left the association in the spring of 2010 to pursue a graduate degree program. John’s nearly two decades of political and policy experience will be an asset to CPDA and its members in the legislative arena. Most recently, John served as Director of Government Affairs at the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association where he built strong relationships with Members of Congress and their staff while effectively advocating for the interests of the construction aggregates industry. He also wrote Congressional testimony and prepared industry witnesses for hearings and served in leadership positions on various stakeholder coalitions. In addition, he raised the visibility of NSSGA on Capitol Hill through staging political events and helped execute a strategy that successfully grew the association’s political action committee. John’s association experience also includes a stint at the Direct Marketing Association where he was Assistant Manager for Government Affairs. In this role, he worked in the association’s legislative shop and tracked a variety of bills and amendments affecting the direct marketing industry. John is a seasoned veteran of Capitol Hill having worked as Legislative Director for Representative Bill Shuster from 2001 to 2003 where he was responsible for the overall management of the Congressman’s legislative operations. In addition, John held various professional staff positions on the Hill beginning in the mid 1990’s when he worked for then Congressman Tom Coburn (who now serves in the U.S. Senate) as well as former Representatives John Sweeney, Gil Gutknecht, and Dave Weldon. John holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations, Public Administration and Political Analysis from the Minnesota State University at Mankato, Minnesota. We at CPDA are very pleased to have him on board and hope you will join us in extending a warm CPDA welcome to John!

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