Aug. 3, 2007 sees Congressional Record publish “PESTICIDE REGISTRATION IMPROVEMENT RENEWAL ACT”

Volume 153, No. 127 covering the of the 110th Congress (2007 - 2008) was published by the Congressional Record.

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

“PESTICIDE REGISTRATION IMPROVEMENT RENEWAL ACT” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S10894 on Aug. 3, 2007.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

PESTICIDE REGISTRATION IMPROVEMENT RENEWAL ACT

Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I rise to express my support for the Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act. It reauthorizes the highly successful Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, PRIA, which was modeled on the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and enacted as part of the 2004 omnibus appropriations bill.

PRIA authorized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to collect service fees in order to help cover the cost of registering new pesticides. It also authorized EPA to continue to collect fees to review older pesticides. PRIA established a fee schedule for pesticide registration requests and set specific time periods for EPA to make regulatory decisions on pesticide registration and tolerance requests. The goal of PRIA was to create a more predictable and effective evaluation process for pesticide registration decisions and link the collection of individual fees with specific decision review periods.

PRIA was developed through the work of a unique coalition of environmental associations and the registrant community, which included agricultural and non-agricultural, antimicrobial, large, small, biotech, and biopesticide companies. This same coalition came together to develop this legislative proposal to reauthorize PRIA.

This is true consensus legislation. It clarifies the intent of the original law and continues the fee-for-service program, with some technical adjustments. Specifically, it increases and clarifies categories covered, uses maintenance fees for registration review, protects funds for grant programs, increases funding, and prevents free-riding.

I am pleased to cosponsor and support this legislation. I urge my colleagues to approve its reauthorization and continue the positive changes PRIA brought to the pesticide registration process.

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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 153, No. 127