In reaction to the release of compromise legislation to reauthorize the Pesticide Registration Enhancement Act HR 1029–a bill that allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to collect fees from the chemical industry to register pesticides– UFW President Arturo Rodriguez made the following statement:
The UFW applauds the leadership of Senators Udall (D-NM), Harris (D-CA), Booker (D-NJ) and Blumenthal (D-CT), for defending the only federal rules that ensure that the children, women and men that work in agriculture and apply pesticides our food, in our homes and in our communities, are adequately trained about the chemicals that they are handling so that they can protect themselves, their colleagues, families, and the broader public from pesticide exposure and misuse.
The updated Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and Certification of Pesticide Applicators (CPA) rule protect workers and all families from pesticide illness, injury and death. If workers don’t understand the dangers of the chemicals they are using, the entire country is at risk of pesticide misuse.