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Compliance Assistance
EPA helps the regulated community understand and meet their environmental obligations by carrying out compliance assistance activities and providing tools related to specific EPA statutes and regulations. Sector-oriented assistance addresses compliance issues or needs across particular business and industry sectors, or to government sectors. EPA also has compliance assistance information available related to planning, statutes, centers, stakeholder outreach, and applicability determinations.
Individuals applying pesticides must do so in a manner not only consistent with federal laws, but also consistent with state laws and regulations which differ from state to state. In general, states have primary authority for compliance monitoring and enforcing against use of pesticides in violation of the labeling requirements. Additionally, the agency with primary responsibility for pesticides differs from state to state. Usually it is a state's department of agriculture, but may be a state's environmental agency or other agency.
Pesticide-specific compliance assistance information and tools are provided below.
- Background on Compliance Assistance
- Compliance Assistance by Statute
- Industry Sector
- Compliance Assistance Centers
Background on Compliance Assistance
Compliance assistance is defined by EPA to include activities, tools, or technical assistance that provide clear and concise information for helping the regulated community understand and meet its obligations under environmental laws and regulations.
Compliance assistance also may help the regulated community find cost-effective ways to comply with regulations and/or go "beyond compliance" thus improving environmental performance through the use of:
- Pollution Prevention,
- Environmental management practices, and
- Innovative technologies.
Compliance Assistance by Statute
The following links provide access to statute-specific environmental compliance assistance, compliance monitoring, and enforcement information. They provide links to documents, tools, and information about complying with environmental requirements.
- Pesticides Compliance Assistance: This page focuses on Compliance Assistance tools and Enforcement information about the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
- Toxic Substances Compliance Assistance: This page focuses on Compliance Assistance tools and Enforcement information about the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Industry Sector
- EPA
Agriculture Division
The Agriculture Division is responsible for overseeing environmental compliance programs for agricultural production, including crops, livestock, forestry, agricultural chemicals, irrigation, lawn care, and pest control. The Ag Division also manages the Good Laboratory Practices Program and sponsors EPA's Ag Center. - Agriculture
Compliance Assistance
The Agriculture sector includes crop production, livestock production and agricultural chemicals. Information available on this page includes links to industry sector profiles, compliance assistance centers, publications, and clearinghouse information.
Compliance Assistance Centers
EPA has sponsored partnerships with industry, academic institutions, environmental groups, and other agencies to launch sector-specific Compliance Assistance Centers. Each Center addresses real world issues in language that speaks to the regulated entities. Through Internet Web sites, telephone assistance lines, fax-back systems, and e-mail discussion groups, the Centers are helping businesses, local governments, and federal facilities understand federal environmental requirements and save money through pollution prevention techniques.
- The National Agriculture
Compliance Assistance Center (EPA's Ag Center)
The Ag Center offers comprehensive, easy-to-understand information about compliance -- common sense, flexible approaches that are both environmentally protective and agriculturally sound. The Center also provides information on reducing pollution and making good use of the latest pollution prevention technologies. - ChemAlliance
ChemAlliance is a source for current information concerning the environmental regulations affecting the chemical industry, which includes ag chemicals.