Congresswoman Nancy Mace announced on Apr. 26 that she is filing an amendment to the Farm Bill that would remove Title X, Subtitle C, Part I (Sections 10201-10207), which contains several changes to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The provisions in question would change pesticide labeling laws by preventing states, local governments, and courts from imposing warning requirements beyond those approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. They would also take away local authority over pesticide sales and use and allow any pesticide use deemed ‘lawful’ if it follows EPA-approved labels, regardless of other legal standards.
The proposed package extends the EPA’s registration review deadline for pesticides until 2031. This extension could allow certain pesticides to remain available without completing required reviews for a longer period.
“A Farm Bill should help farmers, not shield the pesticide industry from accountability,” said Congresswoman Mace.”These provisions preempt state and local authority, shut down judicial review, and hand EPA bureaucrats unchecked power to define what is safe. South Carolina farmers, families, and communities deserve better. This amendment strips them out.”
Mace’s amendment targets sections of the bill dealing with exclusion of substances, coordination between agencies, interagency working groups on pesticides, registration review processes for pesticides by EPA until 2031 instead of current deadlines; uniformity in labeling requirements; state authority regarding regulation; and what constitutes lawful use of authorized pesticides.
Nancy Mace has represented South Carolina’s 1st district in Congress since replacing Joe Cunningham in 2021 according to Wikipedia. She previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2018 to 2020 as reported by Ballotpedia. Born in Fort Bragg in 1977 and currently residing in Charleston according to The New York Times, Mace graduated from The Citadel with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1999 as reported by The Citadel.
The debate over these Farm Bill provisions comes as lawmakers discuss how best to balance federal oversight with state autonomy on environmental issues related to agriculture.
