Will We See You at NPMA Legislative Day Next Month?

There are a few things you can always count on in February. This month brings cold days (we’re headquartered in Ohio), a Super Bowl champion, and, since it’s the shortest month of the year, fewer working days on the calendar. February is also the month in which PCT always previews NPMA Legislative Day. In fact, we have more than eight pages of legislative and regulatory coverage in this issue.

In “Protecting Pyrethroids,” we report on how this chemical class is undergoing a registration review process by EPA, which is required to review pesticides every 15 years. In December, the agency released preliminary ecological risk assessments that found pyrethroids pose a “clear risk to aquatic organisms,” such as fish and aquatic plants. Experts say regulations governing the use of pyrethroids likely will become more restrictive. The people we interviewed said the key is not fighting the regulatory process but guiding it, which is why industry advocacy is so important.

In “5 Issues on the Industry’s Radar,” we review and discuss the topics NPMA officials say they believe the pest management industry should watch most closely in 2017, including:

• Revised Certification Standards for Pesticide Applicators
• NPDES Permits and the WOTUS Rule
• Registration Reviews on Pyrethroids, Fumigants and Rodenticides
• FLSA Overtime Rule
• Healthcare and Tax Reform

While that’s ALOA (a lot of acronyms) covering a wide range of issues, it’s important for the future success of your company to know what each of them mean.

The final article in this package reviews how pest management professionals feel about President Trump. PCT (via Readex Research) asked readers late last year to weigh in on the prospects of small business under the Trump administration. You may (or may not) be surprised at what they said in this exclusive research.

Why so much legislative and regulatory coverage? Legislative Day is arguably the most important event NPMA hosts. While NPMA PestWorld is a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues from near and far, Legislative Day is a way to really effect industry-wide change by talking to your elected officials. The three-day event provides members of our industry the opportunity to meet with legislators face to face and tell them what a vital role pest management plays in protecting public health and property.

(And speaking of next month’s event in Washington, D.C., PCT Publisher Dan Moreland will present the results of the 2017 PCT/NPMA Business Outlook Survey there. This study, which was sponsored by BASF and was reported on in the January issue of PCT, took an in-depth look at how company executives and owners felt about 2016 and what their plans are in 2017 as it relates to acquisitions, new hires, regulations, adding services and more.)

****************************

With “fake news” on the consumer media’s radar lately, we thought it was time to come clean and admit that the PCT editorial staff are big fans of the R-rated satire site The Onion. And it seems The Onion’s writers are big fans of insects. Rarely does a week go by when there isn’t an “article” about insects or pests. Some of our favorite pest-related “headlines” include:

• Bed Bug Feels Bad for Area Man, But a Bug’s Got to Eat
• Spider Sitting on Shower Wall Can’t Wait to See Look on Man’s Face
• Well-Meaning Mouse Wouldn’t Really Call Self a ‘Pest,’ Per Se

Last month, The Onion published “Cockroaches Feeling Very Optimistic About Future of Planet,” reporting that “...more than 95 percent believe the environment is headed in the right direction, and that in the coming years the conditions in their sewer, rotted-wood, and residential habitats stand to improve dramatically.” If the current news cycle has you down, and you need a laugh, check The Onion out!

The author is editor of PCT magazine.