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ENGROSSED
HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4004
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Passed
Legislature - 1995 Regular Session
State of Washington 54th
Legislature 1995 Regular Session
By
Read first time 01/10/95.
Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Ecology.
Petitioning Congress
to introduce legislation on pesticide use for minor crops.
TO THE
HONORABLE BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF
THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE
AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, THE
SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, THE ADMINISTRATOR OF
THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, AND THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF STATE DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE:
We,
your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of
Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and
petition as follows:
WHEREAS,
Approximately two-thirds of the farmgate value of agricultural production in
Washington State is based on minor crops; and
WHEREAS,
Washington State is one of the most diverse agricultural states in the nation,
growing a large number of relatively small but specialized crops of great
significance to the American consumer; and
WHEREAS,
The continued production of these crops and their availability to consumers is
dependent on the ability to safely and effectively control insects, weeds,
diseases, and other pests; and
WHEREAS,
An essential tool in the control of pests in either a conventional or an
integrated pest management strategy is the availability of pesticides; and
WHEREAS,
Without the availability of a full array of safe and adequate pest management
tools, there is likely to be a number of negative consequences including:
Decrease in the exports of food products to other countries; increase in
imports of less wholesome food products; farming communities will have less
diversified economies and will be subject to more economic volatility; decrease
of yield; increase in price; decrease in food supply and variety; decrease in
ability to meet state and national produce quality standards; increase in
incidents of food safety hazards; and an increase in use of products that have
greater impact on human health due to higher toxicity than the products that
were previously in use; and
WHEREAS,
The production of food in several states is similarly affected due to the lack
of availability of pest control products for the production of minor crops;
NOW,
THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the appropriate committees
of the United States Congress inquire into the effects of the 1988 amendments
to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act on the availability
of pesticides for the protection of minor crops and that legislation be
introduced and voted upon that has considered the following provisions:
(1)
Extend the registrants' exclusive data rights by ten years, thereby increasing
the time period over which pesticide registrants have to recoup the cost of
registration;
(2)
Establish specific time periods for the Environmental Protection Agency to act
on minor crop registrations as an incentive to registrants to pursue additional
registrations for minor uses;
(3)
Provide for an extension in the time for registrants to submit data equal to
the time it takes for the Environmental Protection Agency to act upon a request
for a waiver, so that registrants are not inadvertently forced to develop data
during the time the Environmental Protection Agency is deliberating on the
waiver request;
(4)
Provide additional time for registrants to generate the necessary residue data
for reregistration of pesticides for minor crop uses, or if the registrant is
unwilling to finance the generation of the data, to give time to find other
methods to generate the required data; and
(5)
Provide a temporary extension of registration for unsupported minor uses so
that, if the current registrant declines to request the reregistration, other
organizations have the time to comply with registration requirements before
cancellation of the registration.
BE
IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the
Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the
United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, each member
of Congress from the State of Washington, the Secretary of the United States
Department of Agriculture, the Administrator of the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, and the National Association of State Departments of
Agriculture.
