EPA reverses suspension of rule mandating more training for pesticide handlers after lawsuit from three states - Entrepreneur Generations

The Environmental Protection Agency decided last week not to suspend an Obama-era rule aimed at educating farmworkers about the safe handling of toxic pesticides. The move was apparently spurred by a lawsuit filed at the end of May by the attorneys general of California, Maryland and New York that argued that suspending the rule would hurt farmworkers, Miranda Green reports for The Hill.

The 2015 update to the rules was the first in 25 years, and included provisions such as requiring pesticide handlers to be at least 18 and educating farmworkers on pesticide residue that could cling to their clothes and harm children who came into contact with the clothes, Chris Clayton reports for DTN/The Progressive Farmer.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra celebrated the reversal in a statement: "EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has backed down to do what the law requires: implement critical safeguards for agricultural workers. This is an important victory for some of America’s hardest workers and for the Rule of Law."

The EPA has announced an intent to publish the new pesticide safety training materials in the Federal Register, Green reports.

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2t71ca5 EPA reverses suspension of rule mandating more training for pesticide handlers after lawsuit from three states - Entrepreneur Generations

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

Tweet