WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today with a bipartisan group of senators introduced S. 1500, the Sensible Environmental Protection Act to eliminate redundant federal permitting requirements for pesticide applications.
Introduced by Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., the proposed legislation amends the Clean Water Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to clarify Congressional intent regarding the regulation of the use of pesticides in or near navigable waters. The bill requires EPA to report to Congress on streamlining data collection and use regarding water quality due to the registration and use of pesticides. EPA will also provide recommendations on how FIFRA can better protect water quality and human health.
“I have led similar legislative efforts to address this burdensome requirement for several years and continue to hear complaints from farmers across the country about this issue,” said Chairman Roberts. “This duplicative requirement is just another EPA thorn in the sides of hard-working farmers and provides no environmental protections or benefits.”
Other cosponsors include: Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.; John Boozman, R-Ark.; Tom Carper, D-Del.; Chris Coons, D-Del.; Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.; Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.; Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; James Inhofe, R-Okla.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; James Risch, R-Idaho; and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
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