Bacon, Eggs and Bad News

Skillings delivers a heaping of bad news on the plates of attendees at RISE breakfast.

It was a good thing Jim Skillings spoke after attendees of the RISE Industry Issues Breakfast finished eating their bacon and eggs. If Skillings spoke beforehand, he would’ve ruined their appetites. As is, he gave attendees indigestion.

That’s because RISE’s Skillings updated attendees on a list of proposed regulations that have the potential to impact the golf course industry. Skillings said RISE has been “sitting on pins and needles waiting for something bad to happen” ever since President Obama took office and the Democrats controlled both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

“And on Oct. 1, something bad happened,” Skillings said. “And it has been something bad happening every day since Oct. 1.”

That day, the Environmental Protection Agency “announced that the public will now be able to review and comment on the risk assessments and proposed registration decisions for new pesticides.” But Skilling said the policy is viola tes a federal statute.

“We brought that to [the EPA’s] attention and they don’t seem to be concerned about the fact that they’re violating federal law,” Skillings said.

Skillings also spoke of the EPA’s aim to produce water-quality benchmarks for pesticides and pesticide discharge management, among other issues.

Halfway through is talk, Skillings said to the crowd, “You look depressed.”

If some of the discussed regulatory issues are passed, golf course superintendents will be much busier with more paperwork, not to mention having a lot more pressure on them, Skillings said.