Published 10:45 am Tuesday, May 11, 2021
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Monday hiking fees on pesticide companies, dealers and applicators to raise about $2.3 million a year for keeping records and preventing drift incidents.
Senate Bill 5317 received bipartisan support, as well as the backing of some farm groups. Requested by the state Department of Agriculture, the bill responds to a push by some legislators and farm groups to prevent pesticide drift.
The higher fees will allow the department and Washington State University to train and advise more farmers and farmworkers on spraying chemicals.
The department will hire four additional trainers, adding to an existing program. Also, for the first time, the department will have four employees looking for problems and offering help to farmers, department legislative liaison Kelly McClain said.
“Every intent is for them to provide technical assistance,” she said. “They’re not ticket writers.”
The fees will affect approximately 28,700 pesticide applicators and 14,500 pesticide products. The fees will take effect with 2022 licenses and registrations.
The cost of a one-year license for a commercial pesticide applicator will rise by 13% to $243 from $215. Pesticide dealers, pest control consultants and holders of lower-level pesticide licenses also will pay more.
Every pesticide applicator, regardless of classification, will pay an additional $7 to support WSU’s training and education program.
The department originally proposed raising license fees by about 30%. Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, led an effort to hold increases below 15%.
“I wanted to whack it back and have some accountability,” Dent said Monday.
The department will form a group of pesticide applicators and others in the industry to talk about how the money is spent and whether fees need to be raised again.
Dent agreed the bill may relieve pressure to further regulate pesticides.
“We have to educate people,” he said. “You don’t want to spray anybody ever.”
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, said the fees are needed, but turned into a sensitive subject. Cutting back the increases should make the new fees more palatable, she said.
“Anytime there’s a fee involved, it gets controversial, no matter what it’s for,” Warnick said.
The department collects more money from registering pesticide products than licensing applicators.
A two-year registration for a pesticide product will cost $650, up from $350.
The department projects collecting another $1.88 million a year for registering products, while raising an additional $257,355 through higher license fees. WSU anticipates collecting $201,439 a year.
In all, the department plans to add the equivalent of 15 full-time employees.
Besides the trainers and field employees, the department will hire a toxicologist, a policy assistant, two outreach specialists and three people related to registering products.
The department plans to replace its aging database of license holders and registered products.
The fees are the pesticide program’s sole support. The fees were last raised in 2008.
