Revisions to Pesticide Certification & Training Requirements will Impact PCOs

WASHINGTON —  A pending EPA initiative — forthcoming revisions to federal pesticide certification and training requirements — will impact PCOs.

The agency fist enacted pesticide certification and training requirements in the mid-1970s and few rule changes have been enacted during the last 30 years. During this time, most state pesticide application certification and training requirements have far exceeded the federal standard.

EPA is currently engaged in an elaborate stakeholder process to revise training and certification requirements, meaning state’s will need to comply with any new federal requirements.

Last year, EPA issued a series of discussion papers touching on the myriad of issues that a proposal updating the federal certification and training regulation would address.  Issues addressed in the discussion papers include: expanding the scope of the regulation to cover the use of general use products by commercial applicators and not for hire applicators such as janitors and custodians; setting a competency gauge for commercial applicators and other occupational users of pesticides; standardizing requirements; revising the definition of “under the direct supervision”; establishing a minimum age for pesticide applicators; and modifying recertification requirements. (Copies of the initial EPA discussion papers and a compilation of NPMA comments to EPA on this matter can be found at http://www.npmapestworld.org/GovAffairs/EPARCTR.asp.)

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) has reviewed the documents and discussed specific issues with EPA staff. “We feel we have made a lot of progress with EPA and feel like we play a key role in discussions with the stakeholder community,” said Bob Rosenberg, senior vice president, NPMA. “I think the agency has been very fair with the process and NPMA’s position is that certification and training is the cornerstone of an effective regulatory plan and I think the industry has supported this at the state and national levels.”

Rosenberg said that this is a long-term issue, noting that sometime in 2007, EPA officials intend to issue updated discussion papers covering specific certification and training issues and is scheduled to issue a formal proposed rule in December of 2008.