Pesticide Stakeholders Letter of Support for Dr. Michal Freedhoff
In a letter to Senator Thomas Carper and Senator Shelley Moore Capito, pesticide industry stakeholders express support for the confirmation of Dr. Michal Freedhoff as Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP).
Dear Chairman Carper and Ranking Member Capito:
We represent a diverse group of stakeholders, all of whom have a strong interest in continued access to safe, affordable, effective pest control tools through implementation of our nation’s pesticide laws using a predictable, science-based, and risk-based regulatory process.
Given the importance of having an effective pesticide regulatory program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we would like to express our support for the confirmation of Dr. Michal Freedhoff as Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP).
As the program office with responsibility for the regulation of the nation’s pest control products and technologies, OCSPP has the challenging job of reviewing complex scientific risk assessment information and making regulatory determinations based on credible and reliable scientific data according to the underlying laws enacted by Congress. Effective implementation of our nation’s pesticide regulatory program is critical to protecting public health and the environment, while contributing to the economic well-being of the country. As such, a commitment to sound science, the rule of law, the importance of stakeholder engagement, and transparency are all critical.
Dr. Freedhoff has demonstrated a commitment to these principles over a long career. Her scientific background and education will be an advantage at the Agency. She has extensive policy experience that overlaps with the duties and functions of OCSPP. Through this work experience, Dr. Freedhoff has demonstrated that she has the characteristics that are required for an effective leader of the OCSPP – a commitment to sound public policy that is grounded in sound science and an understanding of the value of hearing from all stakeholders.
Stakeholder involvement will be essential as EPA faces an array of difficult issues that have an impact on pesticide registration and use – including meeting the registration review deadlines of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), ensuring the FIFRA review process complies with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and meeting the nation’s challenge presented by climate change. We are especially encouraged by public statements Dr. Freedhoff has made in various forums supporting EPA’s risk-based approach to pesticide regulation and committing to continue to underscore the need for pesticide registration and reevaluation decisions that consider both hazard and potential exposure, to conduct the work of OCSPP in a transparent manner, and to emphasize scientific integrity.
Though we may not always agree with every decision made by EPA and its officials, we do share a commitment to the mission of EPA, to the integrity of the of FIFRA, and to the need for effective protection of public health and the environment. The underlying credibility of EPA regulatory actions is important for our nation’s food production, public health and infrastructure, and the preservation of green spaces. To help meet these goals, we express our support for the nomination of Dr. Freedhoff to be Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
Sincerely,
Agricultural Retailers Association
American Farm Bureau Federation
American Mosquito Control Association
American Seed Trade Association
American Soybean Association
American Sugarbeet Growers Association
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
California Specialty Crops Council
Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology
CropLife America
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Minor Crop Farmer Alliance
National Association of Landscape Professionals
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Association of Wheat Growers
National Corn Growers Association
National Cotton Council
National Council of Farmers Cooperatives
National Onion Association
National Potato Council
National Sorghum Producers
North Dakota Grain Growers Association
Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment
U.S.Apple Association
USA Rice
Read the letter sent by 25 organizations.