BISMARCK, N.D. – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing significant changes to the national certification and training requirements for pesticide applicators.
“The changes include creating additional categories of certification, changing the administration of exams and increasing training requirements,” Goehring says. “The proposed rule adds the categories of aerial, soil fumigation and non-soil fumigation; makes the exams closed-book; and increases the number of training hours for recertification.”
North Dakota State University Extension Service administers the certification and training programs in North Dakota and has developed a video presentation and a fact sheet detailing the major changes.
The video presentation can be found at: http://www.screencast.com/t/k5cDP2O6JFGm
The fact sheet can be found at: https://ndsupesticide.cws.ndsu.nodak.edu/EPA-C&T-Impact-ND.pdf
ADVERTISEMENT
“It is important for the EPA to receive comments from those who are affected most,” said Goehring. “It is beneficial for pesticide applicators to detail their experience and expertise in pesticide application when submitting comments.”
Comments must be submitted by Dec. 23 at www.regulations.gov/ , docket ID EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0183-0151.
