Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. SIMPSON. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011. This bill is a much-needed legislative fix that clarifies how pesticide application should be regulated. Congress never intended for pesticide applications that are already regulated under FIFRA to also require permits under the Clean Water Act. Yet because a Federal court did not interpret congressional intent correctly in a 2009 ruling, Congress must act to ensure that farmers, ranchers, forest managers, and other water users, as well as mosquito abatement districts and local governments, won't face unnecessary and duplicative regulations that would make it more difficult to do their jobs.

Everyone here supports protecting our water supplies from polluters acting in violation of our Nation's environmental laws and regulations; but it is also clear that pesticides used around streams to spray for mosquitoes and other pests are already adequately regulated under statute. Adding another layer of regulation by requiring NPDES permits for application of these pesticides doesn't make them safer. It only piles unnecessary paperwork on top of day-to-day operations for small businesses, farmers, and local governments.

My good friend from Oregon mentioned that in Oregon the application is only three pages long. So why should it be a problem? It misses the point. It doesn't matter if it's one page long or 100 pages long. The question is unnecessary dual regulation.

The legislation before us today would clarify Congress' intent that existing FIFRA regulations are adequate for aquatic pesticide use and provide needed certainty for farmers and ranchers who provide our Nation's food supply. I urge our colleagues to support this important legislative fix.

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