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PPMA OFFICERS
Keith Hamilton
President
J.C. Ehrlich
State College, PA
John Besic
President Elect
Besic Pest Control
Transfer, PA
Marty Overlilne
Vice President
Aardvark Pest Management
Phildelphia, 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
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Dear Friends:
As Fall quickly approaches and the busyness of the last days of summer produces a somewhat slower pace, take a moment to review the status of your pesticide credits and plan to renew any expiring credits at the remaining seminars being offered by PPMA and NPMA this year. Check out the meeting section below for details on the Northeast Division's event on September 18, NPMA's PestWorld conference in October and the PPMA Annual Conference on November 9 & 10.
Welcome new PPMA President Keith Hamilton who assumed the helm earlier this month with the resignation of former President Paul Kutney. Paul continues to provide guidance to the Board and remains involved with the Northeast Division. Thanks for your dedication to the Association and to the industry, Paul!
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Injunction Granted for the Implementation of EPA's Clean Water Rule
On Thursday August 27th a federal judge in North Dakota granted an injunction blocking the implementation of the controversial Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS). 13 states are parties to the suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), while the injunction was granted only hours prior to the WOTUS rule going into effect on Friday August 28th. The thirteen states where the injunction has immediately gone into effect include: North Dakota, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and New Mexico. While other states also filed complaints and injunctions about the rule, EPA said it plans to enforce the WOTUS regulation on the states not covered by the injunction. Other districts courts in West Virginia and Georgia declined attempts by opponents of WOTUS for injunctive relief.
In all, there are 10 lawsuits against WOTUS representing 29 states, business interests, farmers and groups. The law suits are in several jurisdictions at the district and appellate level and both sides are attempting to consolidate the cases, with a high probability of this case eventually headed for the Supreme Court.
The WOTUS final rule specifically includes language that would maintain the current status quo concerning the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). NPDES is a national permit program that regulates the point source discharge of pollutants and chemicals into waters of the U.S. The definition of WOTUS has expanded, but the traditional practices of PMPs have not changed. NPMA is continuing to lobby against expansive regulatory overreach like WOTUS and aggressively pushing for legislation like S1500 which would get rid of the duplicative NPDES permitting system.
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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.
Sign up now for the Northeast Division's Fall Seminar on Friday, September 18 at the Genetti Hotel & Conference Center, 77 E. Market Street in Wilkes-Barre. To pre-register, call Diane at 570-587-5952. Credit card payments accepted! NPMA's PestWorld conference is scheduled for October 20-23 in Nashville, TN. Register at Sign up now for PPMA's 2015 Annual Conference on November 9 & 10 at the Eden Resort in Lancaster. Vendors are also welcome. In addition to vendor booths, PPMA is looking for sponsors for the morning breakfasts and/or refreshment breaks. Ads in the program booklet are also welcome. Contact the PPMA office at 1-800-842-9090 for more information. NPMA's Eastern Conference will be held at the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, PA on January 13-15, 2016! Plan to attend.
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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 dchappell@versantstrategies.net. 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 Senate plans to return next week from summer recess and the House of Representatives will return the following week. It's been a long summer of frustration for school districts and social service agencies who have had to function without funding and, in many cases, have borrowed money to finance daily operations. Obviously, the budget passage is of prominent importance as lawmakers return to Harrisburg. We'll keep you posted on developments.
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Articles of Interest
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09-11-2015
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Court: EPA wrongly approved insecticide
A U.S. appeals court ruled Thursday that federal regulators erred in allowing an insecticide developed by Dow AgroSciences onto the market, canceling its approval and giving environmentalists a major victory. The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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08-26-2015
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Learning to manage pests
Imagine yourself with a group of amateur gardeners walking through a field of 7-foot-high corn. It is 9:30 a.m. and already hot and humid. You are now a "crop scout," and your task is to assess the quality of the crop. Walking through the field in different areas you have to select 15 plants... - Levittown Bucks County Courier Times
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08-24-2015
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Creating habitats for the birds
Birds' numbers have plunged sharply over the last half-century. Loss of habitat, damage from predators, and widespread use of aerial pesticides that kill their insect diet decimated the populations of common nighthawks and chimney swifts in New Jersey and across the birds' breeding... - Philadelphia Inquirer
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08-23-2015
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Inside the web: A weekly look at spider species of NEPA
We fear their bite, get tangled in their webs and are inclined to squish them when they crawl inside our house. Still, spiders are beneficial and perhaps a bit more complex, not to mention interesting. Each week, we'll join Misericordia University assistant biology professor Dr. Larry Corpus, who has studied entomology at... - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
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