05/18/07 Fumigant Forum

The EPA is asking for your input on risk management options for soil fumigants. They are hosting a stake holder meeting in Washington State. Jim Gulliford, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances tells what is expected at the meeting. GULLIFORD: We're looking for  if you look at the actual decision that is out there for comment, we're looking for the stakeholder reaction to proposals we have put on the table. Our concern is to make the use of soil fumigants as safe as we can but also to assure that they are still effective in meeting the needs that growers have. According to Gulliford, there are quite a number of fumigants on the list for comment. GULLIFORD: In fact it's a whole slate of them; methyl bromide, metam sodium, metam potassium, dazomet, chloropicrin which most of the locals there would call Pic and then also 1,3-D which is 1,3-dichloropropene which they may not recognize by that name. Gulliford is asking that people who are stakeholders or people with a direct interest in these fumigants either attend one of the meetings or respond via email. He says either is just as effective at getting your message across. GULLIFORD: All of those inputs are the same whether you make an appearance or send it in a written form, it's going to be treated in the same way. What is important is the input. Gulliford explains some of the specific issues they are looking for comment on. GULLIFORD: How effective can buffer zones be, sealing methods, should we give concern to the timing of applications, limit the size of blocks that can be fumigated at one point in time? So there's a variety of alternatives that we're laying out there and the purpose of those is to say  we believe these soil fumigants can be used safely but we also believe there are some mitigation efforts that should be made again to assure the level of protection we believe is appropriate for citizens. If you'd like to attend the public comment forum, it is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m at the Federal Building, 825 Jadwin Avenue, Richland, Washington or: GULLIFORD: If you can't make that meeting you can go to our website which is www.epa.gov/pesticides and there is information about again what issues that these decisions are relevant to and then there is also information there as to how you can provide written comment if you don't want to come to the meeting. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.