VIEWPOINT: A Victory for Pest Professionals

On June 19, something big happened in our industry. You may not have heard about it right away, but what happened will forever change the way pest management is performed in the U.S., particularly in schools (read story, www.pctonline.com/features/feature.asp?ID=197).But even after hearing about the ground-breaking legislation that was passed by the Senate, PCOs who do not perform pest management in schools may wonder how this affects them.

The answer is fairly simple: although the School Environment Protection Act only applies to schools — at least for now — the future implications of such legislation are much more significant. Because once a law (or even a standard, for that matter) is established in schools, it likely will progress into child-care facilities. From there it will spread to hospitals and nursing homes, commercial facilities and eventually, into the homes PCOs service. Every PCO should be thankful that more rigid protocols weren’t established because such standards could have been very costly.

Who do we have to thank for all of this? The answer, in short, is two dedicated men. Two men who selflessly work on behalf of the structural pest control industry with little fanfare — the National Pest Management Association’s Bob Rosenberg and Gene Harrington. During the past few months’ negotiations, they worked 14-hour days, seven days a week. And they didn’t give up. They sat through hours-long meetings with Jay Feldman, executive director of NCAMP/Beyond Pesticides, a traditional opponent of our industry. They fought for our industry in the face of senators and environmental activists who wanted much stricter regulations. And in the end, they got what they wanted.

Some PCT readers knew about this amendment just 48 hours after it was passed. How? Because they are PCT E-newsletter subscribers. Weekly, we send out a newsletter that features all the week’s news — acquisitions, personnel changes, legislative updates, new product offerings, manufacturer updates and more. And when breaking news happens, like it did with this Senate bill, we let our readers know immediately. Want to receive our E-newsletter? E-mail me at jdorsch@pctonline.com and you’ll be signed up. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s free, and most important, it’s news you need delivered right to your desktop.

Speaking of products and services that PCT offers, be sure to check out page 93 in this issue. We have a new training tool that may be of interest to you and your company. It’s a set of ant ID flash cards that focus on 23 of today’s toughest ants to control. The full-color cards feature ID and control tips on the back, all for just $12.95.

The author is editor of PCT magazine. She can be reached via e-mail at jdorsch@pctonline.com.