Doubling Up On Permits

Doubling Up On Permits. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Farmers, ranchers, forest managers, state agencies and many others are asking Congress to clarify that pesticide use is already strictly regulated and doesn’t need a new set of permits to cover something that is already being done.

WEGEMEYER:  We don’t think that makes any sense. We’re regulated under one statute and we should not be regulated on another statute because it’s costly; it’s burdensome and it provides no additional environmental benefit.  It’s government red tape at its best.  It’s like if you get a driver’s license that gives you the ability legally to drive.  If you had to get some sort of other additional requirement to drive, it doesn’t make any sense. 

American Farm Bureau Regulatory Specialist Tyler Wegmeyer says the new permits are called for by a court ruling called National Cotton Council v. EPA, which goes into effect on April 9th.

WEGEMEYER:  This applies to all farmers and ranchers that have a chance to get pesticides into water.  If you’re a crop farmer and you spray next to a riverbank, you potentially could have to get a permit.  But it goes way beyond agriculture as well.  It goes into mosquito control districts.  It goes into the forestry. It goes to local and state municipalities when they spray parks and right-of-ways and ditch banks. 

But Wegmeyer says there’s another problem.  The federal government hasn’t created the permit that may soon be required.  

WEGEMEYER:  Come April 9th, which is only weeks away, what are they going to do?  I mean, it’s the big question mark.  We don’t know if they have to get a permit. When you ask me, “Well who’s going to have to get a permit?  Well I really don’t know truly and that may sound crazy but we really don’t know because they haven’t put out a permit and it’s really grey area.  It’s all legal mumbo jumbo. 

And states, for the most part, would bear the burden of enforcing the new regulations.  Wegmeyer says that’s why Congress needs to pass legislation to clarify that those extra permits aren’t needed before that April 9th deadline. 

WEGEMEYER:  We have bipartisan support.   Democrats and Republicans support this endeavor in the House. Members of Congress have concern that there’s too much cost involved to the common citizen and the small business.  I think both sides of the aisle understand that this is something that needs to happen. 

He talks about action he hopes Congress will take soon. 

WEGEMEYER:  We’re asking Congress to clarify in law that farmers do not have to get a second permit to apply pesticides when they already have a permit to do that. Farmers have been very successful at applying pesticides in a safe, judicious manner that is not hurtful to people or the environment.  Now the question is whether or not they need additional regulation to apply that pesticide. 

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.