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Committee backs a paraquat ban with a narrow, time-limited permitting route for fruit crops
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Summary
Lawmakers reviewed an amendment that would ban sale, use and application of paraquat except as authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture under a restricted permit (targeting tree and vine rows and certain small fruit crops through Dec. 31, 2030); permits must meet EPA training and agency drift-mitigation conditions and reporting requirements remain.
The committee considered a pared-back paraquat amendment that would prohibit the sale, use or application of paraquat except when authorized by a permit issued by the Secretary of Agriculture for narrowly defined uses.
Under the amendment, the Secretary may issue permits for paraquat sale/use on fruit-producing orchards or crops listed in the USDA crop group for small fruits (including berries and strawberries) through Dec. 31, 2030. The permit framework would require certified applicators to have completed EPA- and agency-required training within the prior year, and exemptions would be valid for no more than three years or until December 31, 2030, whichever comes first.
Sponsor language also directs the agency to include permanent permit conditions that minimize spray drift—drawing on EPA-recommended mitigation measures—and to limit application to tree rows or vine rows for necessary weed control. Bradley Schoeman summarized the statutory structure: "No person shall sell, use, or apply Paraquat except as authorized by the Secretary of Agriculture under subsection c," language that the committee adopted as the baseline for the prohibition.
Committee members agreed it is appropriate to let the Agency of Agriculture put technical application limits (droplet size, buffer distances) into permit conditions rather than statute. Staff and agency representatives noted the EPA and agency already impose detailed technical standards and that statutory text should leave those specifics to regulation. The amendment retains a reporting requirement: the agency must report data on any authorized paraquat uses to the state.
The amendment would take effect Nov. 1 for the permit structure; the overall prohibition is set to take full effect Dec. 31, 2030. Committee members said they will circulate clarified permit language and expect to vote following distribution of that language and the related fiscal/administrative analysis.
