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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
At a Glance
15-P-0099
February 23, 2015
Why We Did This Review
This is a quick reaction report
that addresses lapses in the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA's) pesticide
inspections in North Dakota.
This issue came to our attention
during the course of ongoing
work to assess the EPA's
oversight of state inspections
required by the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
FIFRA regulates the sale and
use of pesticides in the United
States through the registration
and labeling of pesticide
products. Pesticides are widely
used in agricultural, commercial
and household settings and have
the potential to pollute air, water
and land. An EPA inspector or a
credentialed state inspector
conducts inspections of pesticide
establishments and imported
pesticides to ensure compliance
with FIFRA.
This report addresses the
following EPA goal or
cross-agency strategy:
• Ensuring the safety of
chemicals and preventing
pollution.
Quick Reaction Report: EPA Pesticide Inspections
Must Resume in North Dakota to Determine Compliance
and Protect Human Health and the Environment
What We Found
EPA Region 8 is not conducting inspections at
establishments that produce pesticides in North
Dakota. Further, North Dakota does not have a
state inspector with qualifications equivalent to a
federal inspector to conduct inspections on the
EPA's behalf. As a result, federal inspections of
establishments that produce pesticides in
North Dakota have not occurred for 14 years.
EPA Region 8 staff stated that FIFRA
inspections have not been conducted because North Dakota officials do not
want federal inspections conducted in their state. The failure to conduct
inspections increases the risk that pesticides are not in compliance with federal
law, which could result in potential risks from toxics being undetected and
adverse human health and environmental impacts occurring.
The long-standing lapse
in conducting FIFRA
inspections in North
Dakota may result in
exposure to unsafe
pesticides and pose risks
to human health and the
environment.
Since 2011, EPA Region 8 has also failed to conduct inspections of pesticides
imported into North Dakota. Since that time, approximately 1,300 pesticide
imports to the United States have come through North Dakota and none have
been inspected. EPA Region 8's failure to inspect imported pesticides to ensure
compliance with federal law creates a potential risk not only for residents in
North Dakota but residents in other states and locations in the United States.
Recommendations and Planned Corrective Actions
We recommend that the Regional Administrator, Region 8, immediately initiate
FIFRA producer establishment and import inspections in North Dakota,
establish an inspection plan, and compile a list of the number of producer
establishments and import inspections conducted annually in Region 8. We also
recommend that the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance review
Region 8's fiscal year 2015 End-of-Year report and confirm that inspections in
North Dakota have been initiated.
The agency agreed with our recommendations and has proposed acceptable
Send all inquiries to our public	corrective actions. All recommendations are resolved,
affairs office at (202) 566-2391
or visit http://www.epa.gov/oiq.
The full report is at:
www.epa.qov/oiq/reports/2015/
20150223-15-P-0099.pdf

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