On April 10, 2018, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) held a complimentary webinar, “FIFRA Hot Topics.” Co-hosted with Bloomberg BNA, the webinar featured Richard P. Keigwin, Jr., Director, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Daniella Taveau, former International Trade Negotiator for EPA and now Regulatory and Global Trade Strategist, King & Spalding; and William L. Jordan, former senior toxics lawyer with EPA’s OPP and Office of General Counsel. The timely and fascinating conversation was augmented by B&C’s Senior Government Affairs Consultant, James V. Aidala, and moderated by Lisa M. Campbell, Partner, B&C.
The critical legal, science, and policy issues addressed during the webinar included:
- OPP priorities and current Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) implementation issues;
- Endangered Species Act (ESA) opportunities and challenges;
- The EPA OPP budget and industry fee contributions (e.g., the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA));
- Registration review actions on glyphosate, neonicotinoid insecticides, and pollinator protection; and
- Trade barriers and other globalization challenges.
Keigwin’s presentation included an update on OPP rulemaking. According to Keigwin, OPP is considering potential changes to the Worker Protection Standard, including a minimum age, designated representative, and application exclusion zone. OPP expects to publish a proposed rule in fiscal year 2018 to obtain comment on the potential revisions. Taveau highlighted trade topics to watch, including threats from China that include agricultural sectors and the European Union’s (EU) implementation of endocrine disruptor legislation. Jordan reviewed different aspects to the challenges presented by the ESA, noting that while CropLife America has drafted legislation that would address these issues, advocacy groups oppose the draft bill and the chances for a legislative solution are slim. Aidala commented that although OPP may have money from fees collected under PRIA, Agency constraints such as a hiring freeze could prevent OPP from filling open positions.
The materials and recording from the webinar will be available for download shortly. Included in the download package will be answers to questions asked during the webinar that could not be answered due to time constraints.
The webinar is part of the 2018 Bloomberg BNA/B&C Chemical Policy Summit Series. Upcoming webinars include:
- Chemical Policy Summit Series Part III: TSCA at 2: An Update on Implementation and Hot Topics. June 20, 2018, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET. Register now;
- 2018 Chemical Policy Summit Series Part IV: TSCA Confidential Business Information and Generic Naming: Analyzing the New Rules. September 18, 2018, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET. Register now; and
- 2018 Chemical Policy Summit Series Part V: Chemical Regulation After the Mid-Terms: Who’s In, Who’s Out, and What’s Up? December 11, 2018, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM ET. Register now.