American Agri-Women

 The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, by a vote of 292 to 130. H.R. 872 states that National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits are not required when applying pesticides according to their EPA approved label.

American Agri-Women (AAW) President Chris Wilson said that AAW supported the passage of this legislation and commended the House of Representatives for its bipartisan support of the bill, signally the understanding that NPDES permits could be burdensome and unnecessary. Historically, pesticide applications have been regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), rather than NPDES permits under the federal Clean Water Act. A court decision was the reason that NPDES permits would be required in addition. H.R. 872 amends both the Clean Water Act and FIFRA in order to restore the previous regulatory framework.

"While the margin was wide - 292 votes to 130 votes - a 2/3 majority was required procedurally.  That means that 290 votes were required for passage, and it illustrates how important each vote is and how important it is that those affected by this issue provide information to the ir Members of Congress," Wilson said.

"AAW was pleased to join with other farm organizations in support of this important measure, and we hope that it will be approved quickly by the Senate," Wilson said.

American Agri-Women is the national coalition of farm, ranch and agribusiness women, representing 60 affiliate organizations and 40,000 members.  For more information, contact Chris Wilson at 785-537-6171, or go to http://americanagriwomen.org.