Get Tougher on Pesticides

The law that regulates pesticides in the United States is generally regarded as the weakest link in federal environmental protection. Yet Congress seems absolutely unable to come to terms with problems that the Environmental Protection Agency faces in trying to do an almost impossible job.

Many pesticides came onto the market before rigorous standards for potential health hazards were established. But the federal government still has no firm schedule for testing them. Congress let an opportunity to tighten up pesticide laws slip by two years ago; it seems to be happening again.

In the last Congress a seemingly unbeatable coalition of environmentalists, farmers and chemical companies endorsed compromise legislation. But they were beaten by a few intransigent legislators and the clock. Too much work was left to be done in too little time at the end of the session. The coalition has since fallen apart.

The key Senate bill now under consideration is sponsored by Agriculture Committee chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and the ranking minority member, Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.). It would speed up the process of reregistering pesticides, give the public better access to data on pesticides before they go onto the market, and authorize the government to regulate inert as well as active ingredients. Inert chemicals stabilize the active ingredients but can be harmful to humans.

Lobbying is intense on such proposals as ending federal responsibility to pay chemical companies for losses if pesticides are suspended, to set fees for chemical companies to help defray the costs of the testing program, and to allow states to retain authority to pass stronger pesticide-control laws than those of the federal government. State standards are critical to California. With so much invested in agriculture, California has always sought to protect both the investment and the health of consumers by working harder to make sure that produce is safe. The state needs the authority to set tougher standards for selling and applying pesticides until federal law comes up to California’s standards.