Pesticide Contamination Prevention Act.

Existing law requires the registration of pesticides in this state for agricultural use, and requires a person who has registered a pesticide to submit specified information for each active ingredient in each pesticide registered. Existing law requires the Department of Pesticide Regulation to establish specific numerical values for factors relating to pesticide use and groundwater, including, among others, water solubility and field dissipation, and to post certain information on its Internet Web site for each pesticide registered. Existing law requires the Director of Pesticide Regulation to establish, by regulation, a Groundwater Protection List that includes pesticides that have the potential to pollute groundwater, and, under certain circumstances, to regulate their use. This bill would revise the information required to be included in the Groundwater Protection List to include each active ingredient, other specified ingredient, or degradation product of a pesticide that, when applied, has the potential to pollute groundwater, and would require the director, in consultation with a specified subcommittee of the director's pesticide registration and evaluation committee, to develop a peer reviewed method to determine that potential, as specified. The bill would require the director to regulate each active ingredient, other specified ingredient, or degradation product of a pesticide on the Groundwater Protection List that is detected and determined to be a result of lawful agricultural use, and would revise the information that the department is required to post on its Internet Web site. The bill would delete provisions requiring dealers of pesticides to make quarterly reports to the director on certain sales of pesticides to persons who are not required to file a report, as specified. The bill would make conforming and other related changes to provisions relating to the detection and regulation of active ingredients, other specified ingredients, and degradation products of pesticides. Existing law specifies that the director may authorize the continued registration, sale, and use of a pesticide found to have migrated, including if an active ingredient is found in the groundwaters in the state, to avoid severe economic hardship on the state's agricultural industry. Existing law requires the department to conduct ongoing soil and groundwater monitoring of those pesticides for which the director has authorized continued registration, sale, and use. This bill would require the department, for a pesticide whose continued use is allowed, to continuously review new science and data that could impact the validity of a finding that the pesticide has not polluted and does not threaten to pollute the groundwater of the state. The bill would require the department, as prescribed, to either mitigate the threat presented by the pollution or subject the pesticide again to specified review. The bill would revise the definitions applicable to the provisions above relating to pesticide contamination prevention.