EPA To Restore Pesticide Protections For Farmworkers Rolled Back Under Trump

"The Biden administration is proposing to restore regulations aiming to protect farmworkers from pesticides that had been rolled back under the Trump administration.

The Trump administration sought to limit the scope of rules preventing pesticides from being sprayed when there are people nearby.

Under Obama administration rules, there either needed to be a 100-foot zone or a 25-foot zone with no people around pesticide spraying depending on how prone the chemicals were to causing accidental exposures. The rule included both on-farm and off-farm areas if they would otherwise be within the zone’s boundary.

But the Trump administration got rid of the 100-foot category for pesticides that are applied on the ground, meaning only 25 feet would be required between pesticides and people."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill February 16, 2023.
 

Source: The Hill, 02/17/2023