With planting season around the corner, applicators are in the midst of obtaining and renewing chemical licenses.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking to evolve the existing national licensing program to offer more education and training in restricted use pesticides (RUPs).
Under current federal law, anyone using RUPs must be certified in accordance with EPA regulations and state laws and trained through Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEPs).
According to the press release, a more cohesive, revamped national PSEPS will ensure that RUPs are used safely by teaching applicators how to:
• Avoid pesticide misuse
• Clean up spills
• Properly use personal protective equipment
“Pesticides are an important agricultural tool, and we must make sure that the people using them are trained to do so safely,” said Michal Freedhoff, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “The work done through this grant will help enhance pesticide safety and protect workers, communities and the environment from pesticide exposure.”
More than 50 land-grant universities will reap benefits of the grant, each receiving $3 million per year for five years.
With these funds, EPA expects universities will offer:
• Additional education and training
• Protection of humans, communities and ecosystems from exposure to pesticides
• Collaboration between partners and stakeholders for continued program evolution
EPA helped move 825,000 pesticide applicators across the RUPs certification finish line in its past programs. With grant recipients being named in coming months, opportunities for new applicators are likely to be made available.
