EPA Caps Pesticide Sneaking into Your Black Pepper
Published Date: 12/8/2025
Rule
Summary
The EPA just set a legal limit for azoxystrobin pesticide residues on black pepper, thanks to a request from the American Spice Trade Association. This rule kicks in on December 8, 2025, and affects farmers, food makers, and pesticide producers who work with black pepper. If anyone wants to object or ask for a hearing, they have until February 6, 2026, to speak up—no extra costs or delays expected!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
1 ppm Tolerance for Black Pepper
EPA established a legal limit of 1 part per million (ppm) for residues of the fungicide azoxystrobin on black pepper, effective December 8, 2025. The rule is an import tolerance (a tolerance without a U.S. registration) and the rule notes there are no U.S. registrations for azoxystrobin on black pepper as of December 8, 2025. This action is identified as potentially affecting agricultural producers, food manufacturers, and pesticide manufacturers.
Child Safety Margins and Risk Findings
EPA kept the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) safety factor at 3X for acute dietary exposure and reduced it to 1X for other exposure scenarios. EPA's risk numbers show acute exposure at 29% of the acute population adjusted dose (aPAD) and chronic exposure at 66% of the chronic population adjusted dose (cPAD) for children aged 1 to 2 years, with an aggregate margin of exposure (MOE) of 200 for that group; EPA concluded there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to the general population or to infants and children.
Five-Year Residue Data Requirement
EPA will require submission of data demonstrating that residue levels in food are not above anticipated levels no later than five years after issuance of the tolerance; for this action that deadline is December 8, 2030. EPA will issue any necessary data call-ins under FFDCA section 408(f)(1).
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-19072, Rescission of the Greenhouse Gas Findings for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants and Repeal of Regulations for Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Emissions Under Clean Air Act Section 111
The EPA is proposing to cancel all greenhouse gas rules for fossil fuel power plants, saying the law doesn’t let them regulate these emissions for climate reasons. This change affects power plants across the U.S. and could impact future pollution limits and costs. Comments on this proposal are open until November 2, 2026, so now’s the time to speak up!
2026-19071, Partial Repeal of the Carbon Pollution Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units
The EPA is rolling back most of the 2024 rules that limited carbon pollution from fossil fuel power plants. This change affects coal and gas plants by easing some strict limits on emissions and carbon capture technology. The new rules kick in on November 16, 2026, potentially saving money for power plants but raising questions about pollution control.
2026-18317, Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”
The purpose of this supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking is for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army ("the agencies") to supplement and seek additional comment on certain aspects of an earlier proposal, published on November 20, 2025, to revise the regulations defining the scope of waters federally covered under the Clean Water Act in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. As stated in the agencies' November 20, 2025 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the agencies intend for this rulemaking to provide greater regulatory certainty and increase Clean Water Act program predictability and consistency by clarifying the definition of "waters of the United States." After consideration of the public comments received on the NPRM, the agencies are issuing this notice to supplement the NPRM with additional regulatory options on certain aspects of the proposed rule.
2026-14112, Amendments and Nonconformance Penalties for Model Year 2027 and Later Heavy-Duty Highway Engines and Amendments to Inducement Provisions for SCR-Equipped Diesel Engines
Starting with model year 2027, the EPA is updating rules for big truck engines to make sure they last longer and pollute less. They’re also letting engine makers pay penalties if their engines don’t meet standards, and tightening rules for special pollution-control systems on diesel engines. These changes affect truck and engine makers and kick in soon, with public feedback due by August 29, 2026.
2026-13667, Minor New Source Review Program Air Permitting Public Participation Requirements for State Implementation Plans
The EPA wants to give states more freedom to decide how much public input is needed when approving small air pollution sources or changes. This means local air agencies can tailor public participation to fit their community’s needs while still protecting air quality. If you’re involved in air permits, watch for comment deadlines and possible virtual hearings this summer!
2026-13263, Revisions To Establish the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) for Public Water Systems
The EPA is rolling out the sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6) to check for new, sneaky chemicals in public drinking water. Big water systems serving 3,300+ people and some smaller ones will test for 30 different contaminants, including certain PFAS and pesticides, to keep our water safe. Comments and feedback are open until late August 2026, and the EPA will host fun online meetings to chat about the plan!
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-22163, Special Conditions: Airbus Models A321 neo ACF and A321 neo XLR; Single-Occupant Oblique Seats With Pretensioner Restraint Systems; Correction
The FAA fixed a small but important mistake in a rule about special airplane seats on Airbus A321 neo models. They corrected the official number for the safety rules about side-facing seats with seatbelt pretensioners. This update affects airlines and manufacturers and took effect on December 8, 2025, with no extra costs involved.
Next: 2025-22178, Safety Zone; Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
The Coast Guard is setting up a temporary safety zone around the container ship M/V ONE HENRY HUDSON at the Port of Los Angeles to keep people and boats safe during firefighting efforts. From November 28 to December 28, 2025, no one can enter this half-mile zone without special permission. This quick action helps protect everyone and the environment without causing extra costs or delays.