[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 127 (Wednesday, September 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S9881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN (for himself and Mr. Lugar):
  S. 1474. A bill to amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 
Rodenticide Act to extend and improve the collection of maintenance 
fees, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Pesticide 
Maintenance Fees Reauthorization Act of 2001 on behalf of myself and my 
friend, Senator Lugar. This legislation reauthorizes several existing 
legislative provisions addressing pesticide fees.
  As Senator Lugar and my colleagues know, the legal authorization for 
the collection of so-called maintenance fees for the reregistration of 
pesticides expires at the end of this month. This expiration means that 
EPA will face a significant funding shortfall as it continues its 
implementation of FQPA.
  This legislation has been negotiated between the Senate and House 
Agriculture Committees and representatives of the environmental and 
agri-chemical industry. It would require industry to pay $20 million a 
year to reevaluate pesticides approved by EPA prior to 1984. In return, 
a controversial proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency to more 
than quadruple the amount of fees paid by the pesticide industry will 
be shelved.
  The $20 million per year represents an increase over the previous fee 
schedule that had ranged from $14 to $17.6 million a year. $20 million 
reflects the amount of money that EPA says is necessary to pay the 
salaries and expenses of the 200 employees that review older 
pesticides.
  If this reauthorization were not provided, EPA would have to make up 
the money from elsewhere in its budget or layoff some of those 
employees. If that were to happen there is widespread concern that 
EPA's review of pesticides would slow down significantly. EPA has been 
charged with reviewing all pesticides to make sure they are safe for 
the environment and safe for kids. The last we need is for EPA to lose 
the workers vital to accomplishing that.
  I hope that the Senate will be able to move quickly on this 
legislation, and I thank Senator Lugar for working with me to get it 
introduced.
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