Support for Pesticide Regulation Reform

July 27, 2020

PCC endorsed the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2020 (PACTPA), which would provide much needed improvements to existing pesticide laws and regulations to better protect people and the environment.

The United States uses over a billion pounds of pesticides every year, which accounts for almost a fifth of all worldwide use. Approved pesticides remain in use for decades, even when there is strong scientific evidence of their harm to people or the environment.

Currently, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is the federal statute that regulates the distribution, sale, and use of pesticides in the U.S. and is managed by the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since passage in 1947, FIFRA has undergone several updates, but none have adequately and significantly improved the provisions around proving the safety of a pesticide. FIFRA also contains many loopholes that favor the pesticide industry, at the expense of human and environmental health.

PACTPA proposes to ban some of the most dangerous pesticides currently in use, including organophosphate insecticides, neonicotinoid insecticides, and paraquat. The act includes additional provisions that would give local governments and citizens greater advocacy and regulatory power to protect communities and strengthen protections for farmworkers.

Read more about PACTPA here.