EPA Contigency Plans for Government Shutdown

Environmental Protection Agency – reportedly has enough continued funds from previous appropriations to continue operating for now.

1. PURPOSE. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has 134 facilities that occupy approximately 8.2 million square feet of space. EPA facilities consist of office, laboratory, and warehouse space. The largest facilities are the headquarters facilities located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, the ten regional offices that support and manage EPA ‘s environmental policies and programs in the states, and the two major research centers situated in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

This contingency plan provides general guidelines for the orderly hand ling of EPA operations in the event of a funding hiatus caused by the lack of appropriations. In the event of an actual shutdown where EPA is required to implement this general guidance, supplemental government-wide guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management, and the General Services Administration also apply.

 

Read the full contingency plan here. 

NPSEC News – December 21st, 2018


 

NPSEC News – December 21st, 2018

The National Pesticide Safety Education Center would like to wish you and your families a wonderful and safe holiday season. We look forward to working with you in the New Year. 

NEW FROM NPSEC

NPSEC SET TO LAUNCH NEW ‘OUR FOOD’ PODCAST

NPSEC will launch a weekly “Our Food” podcast on a channel hosted, managed and distributed by Cumulus Media NY. This Podcast Channel will be housed in Cumulus’ OG Podcast Network. The network currently distributes a variety of Podcast content but NPSEC’s would be the first in this content vertical. NPSEC would exclusively own the category. The current OG Podcast platform delivers well over 500,000 monthly downloads. ‘Our Food’ will be a broad and rather generic overview of the US. food system. This will attract a large audience and pollinator stewardship can be embedded frequently in these discussions. This broader concept would attract a large enough following to be effective and marketable to advertisers and sponsors. 

The draft description of the ‘Our Food’ Podcast concept:

‘Our Food’: Conversations across our country with those who produce our food – the farmers, farmworkers, greenhouse growers and those who process the agricultural products that feed our country, and also produce enough to make the US the largest exporter of food in the world. We’ll also talk to those who regulate our food production at the federal and state levels, and to the educators who work hand in hand with regulators and producers to ensure that we have a safe and reliable food system. And finally, we’ll explore what we do around our homes and businesses, in our gardens and landscapes, which can impact our food system, such as ways to protect pollinators.

‘Our Food’ is hosted by Tom Smith, Executive Director of the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). NPSEC is a non-profit corporation that serves and supports the extension Pesticide Safety Education Programs in all states and US territories. These programs are typically part of land grant universities and provide the coordination and much of the delivery of education to agricultural producers for the safe and effective use of crop and livestock protection products. The target audiences for ‘Our Food’ are production agriculture, turf and ornamental groups, consumers, and educators/regulator, and will be supported by all other messaging channels to cross market, target, and drive traffic among all messaging channels.

NPSEC OFFERS PSEP-ONLY DISTRIBUTION LIST

A few weeks ago, NPSEC created a distribution list for PSEP Coordinators and their selected staff. To maintain the integrity of this PSEP-only distribution list, please contact Aaron Weibe at aaronweibe@npsec.us if you have any questions or would like to add any Extension Pesticide Safety Education staff to the list. 

NEWS RELEASES

USDA Releases 2017 Annual Pesticide Data Program Summary, U.S. Food Supply is Among the Safest in the World

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today published the 2017 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary. The Summary shows more than 99 percent of the samples tested had pesticide residues well below benchmark levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Read more here. 

Special Collection: Pesticide Exposure in Non-Honey Bees

Bees are essential pollinators of a variety of plants, including many used for human food. In recent years, there have been declines in bee populations due to a variety of factors. One of those factors is pesticides.

While honey bees (genus Apis) tend to get a lot of attention in the media and research, non-honey bees are also important pollinators and could face similar threats from pesticides as honey bees do. However, not as much is known about how pesticides affect non-Apis bees, such as bumble bees, solitary bees, and stingless bees.

Read More from Oxford Academic here. 

PERC & RUTGERS PRODUCTS ON THE NPSEC STORE!

The NPSEC Store is a good place to find EPA-approved materials with expanded 2015 WPS content. This is where you can order NPSEC, PERC, WPS, and state-specific products. For PERC products, PSEPs get a 5% discount if they purchase the products using the code we mailed you at checkout. We track all PERC sales by state and send 5% of all net sales in a particular state or territory back to the PSEP as a gift.

Additionally, the Rutgers E358 Respiratory Guides can also be found on the NPSEC Store.

Shop the NPSEC Store

RUTGERS E358 RESPIRATORY GUIDES

This document provides practical information for proper use of respirators by occupational users of pesticides. It also outlines regulatory requirements of EPA and OSHA that apply to commercial users and also agricultural operations that use pesticides. Its purpose is to describe types of respirators, their limitations, use, care, and maintenance.

Purchase Here.

PERC PRODUCTS

National Worker Protection Standard: A Manual for Trainers

Available in English and Spanish!

These EPA-approved manuals (English: EPA 730-B-16-001; Spanish: EPA 730-K-17-001)) begin with an introduction to pesticides and pesticide safety, including the federal pesticide regulations. They discusses each of the specific points that must be included in WPS training sessions and contains valuable information to help trainers prepare for and conduct pesticide safety training.

Purchase Here

How to Comply With the 2015 Revised Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides

This EPA-approved manual will help users of agricultural pesticides comply with the requirements of the 2015 revised federal Worker Protection Standard. You should read this manual if you employ agricultural  workers or handlers, are involved in the production of agricultural plants as an owner/manager of an agricultural establishment or a commercial (for-hire) pesticide handling establishment, or work as a crop advisor.

Purchase Here

WPS Respiratory Protection Guide: Requirements for Employers of Pesticide Handlers

Under the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) as revised in 2015, there are new requirements for pesticide handlers when pesticide labels require the use of a respirator. This 45-page guide includes step-by-step fit-testing procedures, respirator selection guidance, medical evaluation options, and some frequently asked questions. 

Purchase Here

WPS Posters

Updated WPS Poster(s) for “Central Posting” areas and certain decontamination sites
This poster(s) complies with the requirements in the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) for agricultural pesticides.

Posters come in Large (22×34.5in) and Small (11×17) with a English/Spanish front, and the option of English or Spanish back. All Posters have a gloss laminate finish for durability.

Purchase Here

WPS Training Videos

These WPS training videos for agricultural workers and pesticide handlers apply to many sectors because they include footage and examples from orchards, forestry, nurseries, greenhouses, vineyards, and row crops.

Available in English and Spanish!

Purchase Here

WPS Standard Handbook for Agricultural Employers

Can be purchased individually or in bundles of 2 and 10!

This handbook is formatted as a small booklet, half the size of a sheet of paper. We hope you’ll find it as useful as a handout when training and/or inspecting agricultural work under the WPS.

Purchase Here 

Web-Based Training for Trainers of Agricultural Workers and Pesticide Handlers

Online training course!

This web-based course is EPA-approved, including 12 self-paced learning modules. The course provides the required information for trainers who will perform annual training for agricultural workers and pesticide handlers under the U.S. EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS). It will guide you through the necessary procedures to provide effective training about pesticide safety topics.

Purchase Here

 

USDA Releases 2017 Annual Pesticide Data Program Summary, U.S. Food Supply is Among the Safest in the World

This news release originally came from the USDA. Please find the original release here. 
Contact Info: 

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today published the 2017 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary. The Summary shows more than 99 percent of the samples tested had pesticide residues well below benchmark levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Each year, USDA and EPA work together to identify foods to be tested on a rotating basis. In 2017, tests were conducted on fresh and processed foods including fruits and vegetables as well as honey, milk and bottled water. AMS partners with cooperating state agencies to collect and analyze pesticide residue levels on selected foods. For over 25 years, USDA has tested a variety of commodities including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, poultry, grains, fish, rice, specialty products and water.

USDA tests a wide variety of domestic and imported foods, with a strong focus on foods that are consumed by infants and children. EPA relies on PDP data to conduct dietary risk assessments and to ensure that any pesticide residues in foods remain at levels that EPA has determined to be safe. USDA uses the data to help U.S. farmers improve agricultural practice and to enhance the department’s Integrated Pest Management Program.

The annual pesticide residue results are reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EPA in monthly reports as testing takes place throughout the year. FDA and EPA are immediately notified if a PDP test discovers residue levels that could pose a public safety risk.

The 2017 data and summary can be found on the Pesticide Data Program page on the AMS website. Printed copies may be obtained by contacting the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Science and Technology Program, Monitoring Programs Division by e-mail at amsmpo.data@ams.usda.gov.

For more information about pesticides and food, please visit the EPA website and the FDA website.

Special Collection: Pesticide Exposure in Non-Honey Bees

The original article was posted by Oxford Academic. The full article can be viewed here. 

Bees are essential pollinators of a variety of plants, including many used for human food. In recent years, there have been declines in bee populations due to a variety of factors. One of those factors is pesticides.

While honey bees (genus Apis) tend to get a lot of attention in the media and research, non-honey bees are also important pollinators and could face similar threats from pesticides as honey bees do. However, not as much is known about how pesticides affect non-Apis bees, such as bumble bees, solitary bees, and stingless bees.

Read More from Oxford Academic here. 

Press Release: NPSEC Set to Launch New ‘Our Food’ Podcast

For Immediate Release
December 19th, 2018
Contact: Aaron Weibe, aaronweibe@eXtension.org

 

East Lansing, MI. NPSEC will launch a weekly “Our Food” podcast on a channel hosted, managed and distributed by Cumulus Media NY. This Podcast Channel will be housed in Cumulus’ OG Podcast Network. The network currently distributes a variety of Podcast content but NPSEC’s would be the first in this content vertical. NPSEC would exclusively own the category. The current OG Podcast platform delivers well over 500,000 monthly downloads. ‘Our Food’ will be a broad and rather generic overview of the US. food system. This will attract a large audience and pollinator stewardship can be embedded frequently in these discussions. This broader concept would attract a large enough following to be effective and marketable to advertisers and sponsors.

The draft description of the ‘Our Food’ Podcast concept:

‘Our Food’: Conversations across our country with those who produce our food – the farmers, farmworkers, greenhouse growers and those who process the agricultural products that feed our country, and also produce enough to make the US the largest exporter of food in the world. We’ll also talk to those who regulate our food production at the federal and state levels, and to the educators who work hand in hand with regulators and producers to ensure that we have a safe and reliable food system. And finally, we’ll explore what we do around our homes and businesses, in our gardens and landscapes, which can impact our food system, such as ways to protect pollinators. ‘Our Food’ is hosted by Tom Smith, Executive Director of the National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC). NPSEC is a non-profit corporation that serves and supports the extension Pesticide Safety Education Programs in all states and US territories. These programs are typically part of land grant universities and provide the coordination and much of the delivery of education to agricultural producers for the safe and effective use of crop and livestock protection products. The target audiences for ‘Our Food’ are production agriculture, turf and ornamental groups, consumers, and educators/regulator, and will be supported by all other messaging channels to cross market, target, and drive traffic among all messaging channels.