EPA Keeps Tabs on Fumigant Safety Reporting
Published Date: 9/11/2026
Notice
Summary
The EPA wants to keep collecting info on how soil and non-soil fumigants are used to keep everyone safe. Farmers, businesses, and anyone using these chemicals should know the rules might stay the same, but the EPA wants your thoughts by November 10, 2026. This helps make sure the paperwork isn’t too much and the safety rules work well without costing extra money.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Mandatory Fumigant Reporting Burden
If you are a soil or non-soil fumigant user (including certified applicators and agricultural pesticide handlers), EPA is renewing a required information collection that you must respond to under FIFRA. The EPA estimates 146,054 potential respondents, with a total estimated burden of 1,175,458 hours per year and total estimated costs of $66,065,591 per year (including $4,865,009 in annualized capital or maintenance costs); the average number of responses per respondent is 1.8 and responses occur on occasion. The collection covers activities such as developing and delivering applicator training, labeling and posting at use sites, providing notice to states, preparing Fumigant Management Plans (FMPs) and Post-Application Summaries (PASs), community outreach, first-responder training, and distributing safe-handling information.
Added Ethylene Oxide Facilities Increase Burden
EPA reports an increase of 333,720 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the prior approval because the program now includes additional non-soil certified applicators and the addition of Ethylene Oxide-using facilities. The newly counted Ethylene Oxide facilities include commercial sterilization, healthcare, labs, and veterinary clinics and are cited as the reason for the program change that raised burden and capital/maintenance cost estimates.
EPA Requests Input from Very Small Businesses
EPA is asking for public comments by November 10, 2026, and specifically requests comments from very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) about ways to reduce the paperwork burden from this fumigant information collection. If you run a very small business affected by fumigant rules, EPA seeks examples of steps it could take to lessen reporting and recordkeeping burdens.
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Key Dates
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