MSU Extension recommends learning about new pesticide rule proposal

MSU News Service

BOZEMAN — Montana State University Extension said Montana commercial, private and noncertified pesticide applicators will be impacted by proposed revisions to the current Environmental Protection Agency Certification of Pesticide Application rule and should look at the proposal.

MSU Extension Pesticide Education Specialist Cecil Tharp is the statewide coordinator for training approximately 5,500 certified private pesticide applicators across Montana. Tharp encouraged all Montanans to understand revisions to the EPA Certification of Pesticide Application rule, 40 CFR 171, that have been proposed by the EPA.

Among other revisions, the proposal establishes a nationwide minimum age of 18 for certified applicators and non-certified applicators working under a certified applicator; requires annual safety training and increased oversight for non-certified applicators; establishes a three-year recertification cycle; includes mandatory closed book testing for private applicators; establishes categories for private applicators; and raises the training credit requirements for private applicators to nine credits per cycle, with six of the nine credits coming from pesticide core subject areas.

By raising standards, the EPA expects to prevent up to 800 acute illnesses per year and better protect the environment, according to the EPA fact sheet. The EPA is accepting public comment on proposed revisions through Nov. 23. 

View a comparison of the current rule and the proposal here: http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-08/documents/certification_rule_detailed_comparison_chart.pdf.

Complete details of the revisions are available at http://www.pesticides.montana.edu/News/Miscellaneous/ by selecting “Proposed Pesticide and Certification Training Requirements.”

Instructions for commenting are available at http://www.regulations.gov, under docket ID # EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0183. Tharp encourages people who choose to comment to be concise and outline the benefit of an alternative solution.  

For questions regarding implications in Montana, contact Tharp at 406-994-5067 or [email protected]. For technical questions or further details regarding commenting, contact Michelle Arling with the EPA at [email protected].