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Bill to prevent local governments from regulating pesticides introduced

By |  April 11, 2022 0 Comments

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) introduced legislation to prohibit local governments, such as municipalities, townships or counties, from banning or regulating the use of pesticides at levels that are more stringent than state and federal regulations.

“Pesticides serve as important tools for our farmers, pest management, landscape professionals and many others,” Davis said. “These products are already rigorously regulated at the federal and state levels to ensure safety.”

Davis’ legislation clarifies in the federal statute that regulation of pesticides will be handled jointly by the lead regulatory agency in each state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It will also ensure the uniform labeling of pesticides.

“This legislation will take long-awaited steps to promote a regulatory environment based on consistency and predictability to ensure that pesticides are safe, effective and accessible,” Congressman Jim Baird (R-Ind.) said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to promote a science- and risk-based regulatory environment for critical agricultural inputs.”

According to the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), if the bill passes, superintendents won’t have to manage one part of their golf course differently than another if it falls within multiple jurisdictions.

“We are going on offense through the introduction of the Rep. Davis’ bill. We are trying to promote good, reliable and consistent policy instead of sitting back and waiting to get attacked,” Chava McKeel, director of government affairs at GCSAA, said. “We are trying to establish a better baseline.”

The GCSAA encourages superintendents to get involved in its Grassroots Ambassador program. The goal of the program is to match a member of GCSAA with a member of Congress and to build a relationship between them.

The GCSAA Government department also keeps superintendents in the know on pressing issues through its blog.

“Golf course superintendents are encouraged to reach out to the GCSAA Government Affairs team directly to talk about facility or government issues and how we might be able to address them together as a team,” McKeel said.

To hear from members of Congress and discuss issues at hand, golf course professionals can attend National Golf Day virtually on May 11. GCSAA members and golf industry professionals can register on the American Golf Industry Coalition website.



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