Fighting Zika With Fewer Permits for Government-Approved Pesticides (H.R. 897)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 897?
(Updated October 28, 2021)
This bill would keep states and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring a permit for using pesticides that are already approved by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). These permits — issued through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program — are currently required through the Clean Water Act (CWA).
More specifically, permits would not be necessary in cases where the discharge is regulated as a stormwater, municipal, or industrial discharge under the CWA
Argument in favor
U.S. communities need every tool they can get to fight the Zika virus, without fear of burdensome paperwork and potential fines.
Argument opposed
Environmental damage and public health risks caused by pesticides should be avoided at all costs and are worth redundant permits.
Impact
U.S. pesticide users and FIFRA permit enforcers.
Cost of H.R. 897
According to the CBO, this legislation would have minimal impact on the federal budget. Any administrative savings to the EPA from granting fewer permits would be negligible because states have the authority to grant National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits.
Additional Info
In Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH) said of the inspiration for his bill:
“[It] addresses the Sixth Circuit’s holding in National Cotton Council v. EPA and returns the pesticide regulations to the status quo, before the Court became involved. EPA has estimated that approximately 365,000 pesticide users, including state agencies, cities, counties, mosquito control districts, water districts, pesticide applicators, farmers, ranchers, forest managers, scientists, and even every day citizens, that perform some 5.6 million pesticide applications annually would be affected by the Court’s ruling. H.R. 897 will insure that duplicative and harmful regulations will not stand in the way of effectively protecting our nation’s agriculture production, natural resources, and public health.”
That was back when this bill was called the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act. Now, with it's new name — the Zika Vector Control Act — the bill aims to focus pesticide use (and loosened regulations on discharges) in the fight against the growing threat of the Zika virus.
On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization declared Zika a global public health emergency.
One of the scary parts of the virus is how little we know, including even the number of cases and degree to which it has spread. It has been linked to a few cases of a rare paralysis disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome. On February 2, 2016, experts were surprised by the first confirmed case of the virus spreading directly from person to person through sexual contact (instead of via mosquito) in Dallas, TX.
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