Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 11/3/17

Pruitt's decision in May to indefinitely delay a final rule strengthening protections for agricultural workers handling pesticides has revived concerns over some controversial provisions. Members of the agency's pesticide program committee (representing growers, farm workers, environmental advocates, state officials, the public health sector and the chemical industry) debated on Thursday the "designated representative" provision, and what's required when those representatives try to obtain farmers' pesticide information on behalf of farm workers who get sick from exposure.

A state pesticide-safety educator said farmers were skeptical about someone entering their property and demanding records without proof of their credentials. A grower expressed concerns about what the representatives would do with the information.

An environmental advocate responded that it was "deeply cynical" to suggest that a designated representative would be used by farmers against their neighbors to obtain information about pesticides.

EPA officials said the agency had already addressed many of the concerns in the final rule, which contains a more constrained designated-representative provision. It includes requiring that the representatives have written evidence of who they are and the information they're seeking.