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 August 2015

 

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 PPMA OFFICERS

  

Paul Kutney

President

Orkin

Larksville, PA

 

Keith Hamilton 

President Elect

J.C. Ehrlich Co.

State College, PA

 

Ed Van Istendal

Past President

Ensystex

Coatesville, PA 

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Central Division

Gary Lesher

Governor

Perry Pest Control

Landisburg, PA

  

Keith Hamilton

J.C. Ehrlich

Pleasant Gap, PA

 

Keith Jones

Archer Pest Control

Camp Hill, PA

 

Greg Ten Hoeve

Terminix

Mechanicsburg, PA

 

Eastern Division

 

Marty Overline

Governor

Aardvark Pest Mgmnt

Philadelphia, PA


 

Mike Snyder

Township Pest Control

Warrington, PA

 

Jim Nase

Moyer Indoor/Outdoor

Souderton, PA

  

Northeast Division

 

Jeff King

Governor

The Pest Rangers

Hanover Twp., PA

 

Paul Kutney

                     Orkin

Ashley, PA

 

Diane Lown

Ajax Environmental Solutions

Dalton, PA

 

Western Division

John Morrison

Governor

D-Bug, Inc.

Latrobe, PA

 

Adam Witt

Witt Pest Management

Pittsburgh, PA

 

Eric Herrington

Terminix

Bridgeville, PA

 

John Besic

Besic Pest Control

Transfer, PA

 

Technical Advisor

 

Chad Gore

Rentokil North America

Carnegie, PA

 

AWDII Chairman

 

Ed Van Istendal

Coatesville, PA

 

Legislative Chairman

 

Keith Hamilton

J.C. Ehrlich

 State College, PA

 

Bed Bug Taskforce Chairman

 

Marty Overline

Aardvark Pest Management

Philadelphia, PA

 

Salino Scholarship Chair 

Dana Lown

Ajax Environmental Solutions

Dalton, PA

 

Industry Liaison

 

Brian Smith

Univar

Sharon Hill, PA

 

Executive Director

Versant Strategies

Harrisburg, PA

 

  

 

 

 

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Dear Friends:
 

 Kudos to the Western Division for it's donation of $800 to the Disabled American Veterans Transportation Network. Contributions were received from John Besic, Eric Herrington, Scotty Grill, and Adam Witt and were matched by the Western Division for this gift.
 
Members of the Michael A. Marzano Outpatient Clinic with Rep. Mark Longietti (second from left) and PPMA member John Besic (third from left)
 
 
Pictured above from Western Division are John Besic, Adam Witt, John Morrison, George Palek from Residex, and Ron Lofgren.
 
Be sure to check out the upcoming meetings below. Both the Central Division and the Western Division have seminars this month with the opportunity to pick up Pesticide Credits. The Eastern Division has its fall seminar next month and information for all three meetings is listed below.
 
As we begin a new membership year with a new PPMA team of officers, the board plans to meet in early September to strategize operations. If you have any suggestions contact the PPMA office at 1(800) 842-9090.


 

Don't forget to mark your calendars for November 9 and 10 for the PPMA Annual Conference at the Best Western Eden Resort in Lancaster, PA. More info to come!


 Team Versant

  

News from NPMA  

  

 

NPMA POLICY UPDATE - EPA RELEASES PROPOSAL TO REVISE CERTIFICATION OF PESTICIDE APPLICATORS RULE

Overview:

On August 5th the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication rule proposing stronger standards for commercial and private pesticide applicators who apply restricted-use pesticides (RUPs). The rule will raise the Federal standards for applicator competency, including testing, certification and continuing education, in an effort to provide assurances that certified applicators and noncertified applicators under their direct supervision are competent to use RUPs in a manner that will not cause unreasonable adverse effects.

 

The pre-publication released yesterday evening totaled 280 pages and the NPMA Policy Team is working quickly to analyze the entire proposal and all impacts it may have on the structural pest management industry. In the meantime we've prepared the below highlights that we feel you should be aware of:

 

  Additional training and certification requirements will be implemented for aerial application, soil fumigation and non-soil fumigation

  All persons, certified applicator or person working under their direct supervision, must be 18 to apply RUPs

  Additional training and certification requirements will be implemented for noncertified applicators working under direct supervision of a certified applicator, including training and/or passage of the core exam

  Added responsibilities for certified applicators supervising a noncertified applicator applying RUPs, including being certified in the category of the application being performed by the non-certified applicator, and being available for direct communication, either on site or via cellphone, two-way radio, or other mechanical device

  Commercial applicators will be responsible for maintaining training records of non-certified applicators for 2 years

  Standardizing requirements for certification exams, including the requirement of a proctor and mandating all exams be closed book, in addition to identification procedures

  Instituting standard based recertification requirements for commercial applicators every 3 years, including  6 CEUs for core application and 6 CEUs per specific category.  Applicators must earn half of the required CEUs in the 18 months preceding expiration.

  States will be required to provide information about state requirements and procedures for reciprocity

 

Under the current Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) structure, the standards set forth are the minimum requirements a state must implement. In some states many of the above changes are already mandated. EPA specifically noted this fact and has proposed the heightened standards to provide a more unified regulatory scheme under FIFRA. States that are below the proposed minimum standards will be required to raise the minimum standards in their state plans.

 

Implications:

The most important thing for Pest Professionals to note is that even though the above changes to the federal regulations only apply to persons applying restricted use pesticides or persons working under their direct supervision (in the case of PMPs, only fumigants fall into this category), each of the fifty states will need to alter their certification and training laws and regulations to come into compliance with the federal requirements. In almost every case, the changes to the state laws and regulations will impact the use of general use pesticides by PMPs.

 

Next Steps:

The NPMA policy team is meeting with officials at EPA early next week, and will be working closely with State Regulatory Officials throughout the nation to analyze impacts and assist in identifying areas of the proposed rule that we feel should be amended.

 

The proposed rule has not officially been published in the federal register to date. When it is officially published there will be a 60 day public comment period. The proposal provides for a delayed implementation if the rule is finalized, up to four years for existing state certification plans.

 

NPMA's Public Policy Staff will provide a more detailed analysis next week after we've had an opportunity to meet with the agency and clarify specific questions. 

 

 

Upcoming Meetings        

   

The Eastern Division continues to hold its monthly meetings with varying topics of discussion on the second Thursday of every month at the Crowne Plaze in Trevose.  For more information on monthly topics and speakers, contact Sue at (215) 331-1121.

The date for the Eastern Division's fall seminar is September 10.  The event will be held at the usual spot, the Crowne Plaza in Trevose.  Vendors can sign up now for exhibit space.  Registration information is available here.

The Central Division will hold its summer seminar on August 18 at the Park Inn, 5401 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg commencing at 7:00 a.m. with registration

The Western Division's summer meeting is scheduled for August 27 at the DoubleTree by Hilton (Formerly Four Points Sheraton, Pittsburgh North). Get details here.
  
Mark your calendars now for PPMA's 2015 Annual Conference on November 9 & 10 at the Eden Resort in Lancaster.

As noted above, NPMA's Eastern Conference will be held at the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, PA on January 13-15, 2016!  Plan to attend.
  
Legislative Update


The information below represents legislative activity (including bill introductions) that has occurred since the last newsletter.  For a full listing of legislation that Versant is tracking for PPMA, please contact us at (717) 635-2320 or [email protected].  Activity marked HCO or SCO indicates a co-sponsorship memo which precedes the actual introduction of legislation and is designed to secure the support of other legislators prior to introduction as a bill.

  


 

The general assembly is in summer recess. Of major concern is the passing of the Commonwealth's FY 2015-16 Budget. To date, this budget has not been passed but legislative leaders continue to meet with the governor. We will keep you apprised of further action.


 

REMINDER from NPMA

Increase Your Business Opportunities; Update your Find a Pro Listing Today

 

Take advantage of the significant marketing opportunity provided to you as an NPMA member and update your Find a Pro listing for NPMA's consumer site, www.pestworld.org, today. Visit www.npmapestworld.org

  1. On the membership dropdown, choose Update Find-a-Pro Listing
  2. Click UPDATE YOUR LISTING TODAY
  3. Login using your NPMA member ID and password
  4. Click Edit next to the location you would like to update
  5. Follow the on screen instructions

Articles of Interest 

      


08-06-2015

EPA Proposes Stronger Standards for People Applying the Pesticides with the...
  (Press Release)

08-06-2015

Heritage Valley says no cause for concern after bed bug incident
BRIGHTON TWP. -- A patient brought bed bugs into the waiting room of an outpatient test center at Heritage Valley Beaver hospital Tuesday, but officials said they were addressed and should not be cause for concern. Dr. John Luellen, chief operating officer and chief quality officer for... - Beaver County Times

08-06-2015

Planting milkweed helps monarch butterflies
TROY - Judy Warn of Troy walks over to her flower garden and points to a single plant with a small orange flower. "It's taken a while to get established," she said. The plant is one of the many varieties of milkweed, and is called Butterflyweed. By growing the plant in her garden, Warn is seeking to do her part to help... - Towanda Daily Review

08-06-2015

People are developing dementia earlier and dying of it more, a study shows
People are developing dementia a decade before they were 20 years ago, perhaps because of environmental factors such as pollution and the stepped-up use of insecticides, a wide-ranging international study has found. The study, which compared 21 Western countries between the years 1989 and... - Washington Post

08-05-2015

'What's the Buzz About Wild Bees?'
Among all the pollinators, honeybees get the most publicity, deservedly, because of the problems around their survival. Claire Kremen's research at the University of California, Berkeley, looks at diverse pollinators - not just bees, but also birds, moths and many insects - and the... - New York Times

08-03-2015

Montco: Mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus
Five mosquitoes harvested in Montgomery County have tested positive this year for the West Nile virus, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection reported Friday. On Monday night, the county plans to spray in areas in Cheltenham where samples have tested positive, with the perimeter of the spray area bounded... - Philadelphia Inquirer

08-03-2015

Report: World's wildlife numbers have fallen by more than half since 1970
A sobering report by the World Wildlife Fund finds that the earth's total number of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish has been cut by more than half since 1970. The main reason: humans, according to the group, through illegal hunting, fishing, deforestation, pollution and various forms of habitat destruction.... - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

07-30-2015

Housing Authority to treat Brookline senior complex for bedbugs
Residents of a Brookline senior housing complex say Pittsburgh Housing Authority officials have promised to inspect and treat all 30 apartments for bedbugs within 30 days. Staff from the authority's Pest Control Department will cover the entire Frank H. Mazza Pavilion on Brookline Boulevard, said residents who attended... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

07-27-2015

Invasive beetle costs Pittsburgh-area power companies plenty
A pest the size of a grain of rice is causing big problems for utilities. "I think our biggest challenge has been trying to make sure that we don't spend our entire budget on removing dead ash trees," Jenny Arkett, manager of vegetation management for Duquesne Light Co., said about... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

07-27-2015

Citizen scientists tracking Ohio bumblebees
Luciana Musetti is fascinated by bumblebees. "They play a vital role to our environment, and they are beautiful, too," Musetti, an entomologist and curator of the Triplehorn Insect Collection at Ohio State University's Museum of Biological Diversity, said in an email.... - Columbus Dispatch

07-23-2015

PA Officials Reiterate Commitment to Clean Water, Chesapeake Bay Cleanup at...
  (Press Release)

07-23-2015

Call off the bee-pocalypse: U.S. honeybee colonies hit a 20-year high
You've heard the news about honeybees. "Beepocalypse," they've called it. Beemageddon. America's honeybees are dying, putting honey production and $15 billion worth of pollinated food crops in jeopardy. The situation has become so dire that earlier this year the White House put... - Washington Post

07-20-2015

Amid concerns for their health, bees find a powerful buffet in an unlikely urban oasis
A bulldozer rumbled atop a massive construction-rubble landfill nearby as Sam Droege and Thom Wilson went bee-hunting beneath high-voltage power lines slicing across northeastern Baltimore. Every few steps he took, Droege - a wildlife biologist with the U.S.... - Baltimore Sun

07-17-2015

New labor rules to affect firms that use independent contractors
New guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Labor this week could challenge the way that many companies have built their business models on hiring independent contractors. The guidelines could affect ride-sharing services like Uber to seasonal businesses such as construction companies to creative entities like... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

07-16-2015

Areas of high risk for Lyme disease expand, including in Pennsylvania
NEW YORK - The geographic areas where Lyme disease is a bigger danger have grown dramatically, according to a government study published Wednesday... - AP

07-14-2015

Search for spotted lanternfly widens to Lehigh County
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has issued a BOLO - be on the lookout - for the spotted lanternfly in Lehigh and Montgomery counties. The Agriculture Department, in a news release Monday, said the invasive pest has not been spotted in the counties, but said surveillance teams are... - Allentown Morning Call

07-14-2015

Spraying pesticides to control 'pests' poses serious health risks
Editor: The spraying of pesticides across our region to control mosquitoes, gypsy moths, and a growing list of other "pests" poses serious risks to the environment and to public health. All insecticides are toxic to bees, butterflies, songbirds, amphibians, reptiles, mammal and humans. Sprayed aerially or from truck-mounted... - Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice

07-13-2015

Heffley's Bipartisan Bill to Help Veterans Secure Jobs Becomes Law
  (Press Release)