EPA Support for State Pesticide Safety Education Programs

1. EPA Support for State Pesticide Safety Education Programs Kevin Keaney United States Environmental Protection Agency

2. Current Funding Pass-through Process

3. Funding Options • Keep the existing IAG with USDA, adding more specific controls regarding timing of distribution, accounting practices and reporting requirements. • Establish direct relationships between EPA and CES through grants, contracts or cooperative agreements. • Establish relationships with EPA and the SLA to pass through funds to CES.

4. Direct Relationship Options Grants • Do not establish a strong working relationship or specific deliverables. Contracts • Are specific by nature. • Funds linked to deliverables and measurable results • Lack some desired characteristics in the EPA-CES relationship. Cooperative Agreements • Are more flexible than contracts. • Can be established for up to 5 years with 1 year no-cost extension. • Should foster good, “cooperative,” working relationships between EPA and CES. All options involve overhead, which EPA and the workgroup will look into possibility of minimizing or eliminating.

5. Immediate Changes • EPA will assign HQ project officers to state extension programs, according to the current USDA regions, to enhance communication and collaboration and to supplement existing regional office structure as follows: • North Central- Jeanne Heying & Michelle DeVaux • Southern- Richard Pont & Michelle DeVaux • Western- Don Eckerman & Kathy Davis • Northeastern- Kevin Keaney & Mike Walsh

6. Immediate Changes • A workgroup will be formed, chaired by the CTAG Co-chairs (Kevin Keaney, Gina Davis) and the AAPSE President (Win Hock), and expanded to include other interested stakeholders, working together through fiscal ’04 to identify a better way of distributing funding in the future.

7. Immediate Changes • The workgroup will work to: • Formalize options for changing the funding formula that will provide better accounting, distribution and reporting practices. • Identify a system that is transparent, equitable, and not administratively burdensome. • All findings and proposals of the workgroup will be distributed throughout the program for comments and suggestions before finalizing anything. Stakeholder input will be valued throughout the workgroup process.

8. ’03 Funding • EPA/OPP has reduced funding to or delayed funding of other programs for the ’03 fiscal year and has secured about $700K to pass into the existing IAG with USDA • USDA will be asked to reallocate funds from old inactive accounts • USDA will issue letters of credit within a month of receiving the notification of funds from EPA

9. Goals • Timely distribution of funds to PAT Coordinator • Defensible accounting practices • Good internal oversight of IAG • Clear deliverables and measurable activities • Closer partnerships between EPA and Extension • Clear relationship of service between CES and SLA

10. Communication • Information will be communicated via: • SLA/CERT list server • AAPSE list server If you do not belong to either of these list servers or need information on joining, please contact us for assistance. Kevin Keaney Chief, Certification and Worker Protection Branch U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 703-305-7666 desk 703-305-7666 secretary 703-308-2962 fax keaney.kevin@epa.gov