[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 45 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E589]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REDUCING REGULATORY BURDENS ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 30, 2011

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this 
legislation. Pesticide pollution in our waterways impairs fish 
habitats, threatens drinking water, and creates dead zones in our 
oceans. In its most recent ``National Water Quality Inventory; Report 
to Congress,'' the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined 
that pesticides are the sixth leading cause of water quality impairment 
in estuaries. In Oregon, according to the EPA, 19 of our water bodies 
are considered pesticide-impaired. If ingested in drinking water at 
high levels, pesticides can cause a range of health problems from 
cancer to birth defects to kidney and liver damage to nervous system 
effects.
  This legislation would overturn a recent court decision requiring EPA 
to issue Clean Water Act permits for certain pesticide discharges. It 
doesn't make sense to take away these tools from the EPA without 
replacing them with something better. The EPA has struggled to address 
agricultural run-off and other non-point source pollution under the 
Clean Water Act, and these sources will continue to be exempt from 
permitting requirements. But point source discharges of pesticides that 
leave a residue in waterways, which is the subject of this legislation, 
is something that the EPA can address and has now been compelled to 
address by a Federal appeals court. While the Federal Insecticide, 
Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires registration of 
pesticides and evaluation of their impact on human health and the 
environment, it does not involve a performance standard for specific 
bodies of water. In areas where pesticides have impaired water quality, 
I believe it makes sense to provide the EPA with tools to address that 
impairment.
  I have heard a number of concerns from the agricultural community in 
my district about the specific standards being applied here as well as 
the increased burden of filling out paperwork. I look forward to 
working with stakeholders in my district to ensure the new requirements 
are not unreasonably burdensome. I would also support additional 
resources from the Federal Government to help counties, municipalities, 
public utilities, water districts, farmers, ranchers, and forest 
managers deal with any additional costs association with the permit 
requirements.

                          ____________________