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March 14, 2014

James V. Aidala Delivers Address on Newsworthy Topics in Pesticide Regulatory Policy

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.

James V. Aidala, Senior Government Consultant at Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), delivered the keynote address at the Spring Board Meeting of the Association of American Pesticide Control Officials held in Arlington, Virginia, on March 10, 2014. His presentation gave background, analysis, and commentary on the most newsworthy issues in pesticide regulatory policy today, including possible impact on pollinators, spray drift, and bystander risk; the difficulty of communicating science in fast news cycles and 140 character-limited social media platforms; and the Executive Orders and initiatives coming from the Obama Administration’s second term.

But perhaps the sound bite that will linger longest with attendees from the speech by Mr. Aidala, a former member and writer for the redoubtable Washington D.C. comedy troupe “The Capital Steps,” was his lighthearted recap of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) most recent actions to reduce possible impact of pesticides on pollinator health, a recap that began with “There once was a bee from Nantucket….” With attention fully gathered, he proceeded to discuss EPA’s pollinator pronouncements from Summer 2013, subsequent developments, and the remaining concerns for industry, which were summarized in Mr. Aidala’s article in Law360 entitled “Neonicotinoids: EPA’s New Get-Tough Measures.”

For copies of Mr. Aidala’s presentation, contact chad.howlin@lawbc.com.

James V. Aidala is a Senior Government Consultant with B&C and a critical ally for any client addressing chemical policy, legislative, and related issues. He has been intimately involved with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) legislative reauthorization and key regulatory matters for over two decades. Prior to joining B&C, he was former Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances (OPPTS) (now the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention).

A limerick, by Jim Aidala:

There once was a bee from Nantucket…
Looking for pollen to suck it
The numbers were down
The press wore a frown
So EPA called all to a Summit
“Bad labels the cause”
EPA seeking applause
Said: “First — All the petals must plummet!”