August Update for Board of Pesticides Control
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry sent this bulletin at 08/31/2026 03:25 PM EDT
View as a webpage / ShareBoard of Pesticides ControlBoard of Pesticides Control UpdateStay up to date with the latest from the Board of Pesticides Control. This update covers everything you need to know about upcoming meetings, new rules, and important reminders to keep you and your community safe. We’re here to keep you informed, and we’d like to hear your thoughts—drop us an email anytime at pesticides@maine.gov.In this Update:Upcoming Board MeetingsProduct Registration InformationBPC Reminders and UpdatesToxicology CornerEnforcement ReminderEPA Releases Glyphosate Human Health Open Literature Search Document for Public FeedbackUpcoming Board MeetingsThe next Board Meeting is October 2, 2026 it will be hybrid at the Deering Building in Room 101 in Augusta, ME 04330, and on Microsoft Teams. The meeting starts at 9:00 AM. For more information, visit the Board Meetings Page.Product Registration InformationThe BPC maintains a list of registered products on the front page of its website. For a list of the current Maine registrations.BPC Reminders and UpdatesLicense Renewal ReminderLicense expiration reminder: Does your Agricultural Basic or Private License expire on October 31st, 2026? Sign into the portal for information on your license expiration date and continuing education credits needed for renewal. Renewal fee amounts can be found on the website. For help logging into your portal, contact BPC at pesticides@maine.gov or 207-287-2731.Obsolete Pesticide Collection Events – Open Now!The Maine Board of Pesticides Control and Maine Department of Environmental Protection are hosting their annual Obsolete Pesticide Collection Programs in Maine. The events will take place in November at locations in Presque Isle, Bangor, Augusta, and Portland. This event is FREE for Maine residents, homeowners, and family-owned farms. Any pesticides or adjuvants are accepted. Registration prior to the event is required, and accepted participants will be notified of specific event details. This event is ONLY for pesticides. BPC will not accept oils, paints, or other hazardous materials. Registrations must be received by October 5th, 2026 to participate. Please see the attached event flyer for more details. Interested individuals can visit the BPC website to sign up or contact the BPC at 207-287-2731 or pesticides@maine.gov. Opportunity to Help UMaine Extension Map Herbicide-Resistant Weeds in MaineThe University of Maine is collaborating with experts across the Northeast to study the status and management of herbicide-resistant weeds.If you spot any of the following weeds on your farm, in your nursery, or even around your home, please reach out to Manjot Sidhu (manjot.sidhu@maine.edu) or Nick Rowley (nicholas.rowley@maine.edu)Waterhemp – Seeds mid Aug-Sept in MaineHorseweed (Marestail) – Seeds Aug-Oct in MainePalmer Amaranth – Aug-SeptPigweed – Aug-OctNote: You don’t need to know if they are resistant or not— UMaine will handle the testing and analysis as part of the project. You may have resistant weeds even if you are an organic farmer, weed seeds’ transport don’t recognize farm boundaries!If you see these plants, or have a history of occurrence of these weeds, please email Manjot Sidhu (manjot.sidhu@maine.edu) or Nick Rowley (nicholas.rowley@maine.edu) as soon as possible. It is critical to track these specific populations until they reach the seeding stage. Once they are ready, either a county representative or extension will come out to collect the seeds for our study. (**Please remember to take note of the location and co-ordinates from where the sample is collected**)Toxicology CornerDr. Doug Van HoewykIn mid-August I attended a webinar hosted by the EPA that explored the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR). This rule is defined by the Safe Water Drinking Act, and mandates the EPA to identify and monitor up to thirty unregulated contaminants every five years. This is the sixth time the EPA has assessed unregulated hazards in our nation’s public water systems. Previous iterations of the UCMR monitored PFOA and PFOS, which are two of the most toxic and persistent PFAS. These efforts eventually led to establishing EPA benchmarks for these two PFAS; both PFOA and PROS are now regulated contaminants as a result of the fifth UCMR.The 6th UCMR proposes to monitor a variety of chemicals, e.g. solvents, explosives, fluorinated molecules, and pesticidal active ingredients. These pesticides include trifluralin, DEET, phorate, dichlorvos, and chlorothalonil. Additionally, several pesticidal metabolites will also be monitored; these metabolites are chemicals that result from the degradation of pesticides. One of these metabolites include trifluoroacetate, which is formed from the degradation of a variety of PFAS, including many- but not all- PFAS in the active ingredient in pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Trifluoroacetate is persistent and pervasive in the environment, and has low acute toxicity. The 6th UCMR will reveal new information of the occurrence and concentration of trifluoroacetate and other unregulated contaminants.SourcesProposed Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule | US EPAEnforcement ReminderThe BPC Compliance team would like to remind readers that application of pesticides to waters of the state is prohibited without approval of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).Additionally, even with approval from DEP, the use, and purchase, of aquatic herbicides may only be done by licensed commercial or private applicators. Also, aquatic herbicides may only be sold by licensed restricted use pesticide dealers.The only aquatic use products excepted from the licensing requirements are registered herbicides containing only the active ingredients erioglaucine (Acid Blue 9 or FD&C Number 1, CAS Registry No. 1934-21-0) and/or tartrazine (Acid Yellow 23 or FD&C Yellow Number 5, CAS Registry No. 2650-18-2 (trisodium salt) or 3844-45-9 (triammonium salt)).Please see Chapter 20: Special Provisions, Section 4 for more details, which can be found on the BPC Rules & Regulations webpage. EPA Releases Glyphosate Human Health Open Literature Search Document for Public FeedbackU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released for public comment the results of a comprehensive open literature search to inform a forthcoming glyphosate human health risk assessment document. As part of its pesticide reevaluation process, called registration review, EPA is reevaluating glyphosate to ensure that it continues to meet the statutory standard for registration as scientific data evolves. Because of the large and growing body of publicly available research, EPA routinely conducts open literature searches to identify, screen, assess, and incorporate relevant peer-reviewed studies. The agency also reviews open literature submitted during public comment periods.This document describes the systematic review procedure and presents a comprehensive list of the studies EPA has identified, including the most recent search, which captures publications since EPA’s last open literature review in 2017. EPA will use additional, relevant studies to inform the upcoming human health risk assessment which includes potential dietary risks associated with residues in food and water. The risk assessment is scheduled for completion in late 2026, which EPA will then release for public comment. Because EPA relies on gold-standard science, the agency asks that commenters provide the complete study and its underlying data, or clear information on how to obtain them, so each study can be evaluated for quality, reproducibility, and other factors. When submitting a study, please include the full citation — author(s), date of publication, journal title, and article title.This comment period is focused specifically on identifying peer-reviewed, gold-standard studies EPA may consider moving forward. When EPA releases the updated human health risk assessment, the public will have a further opportunity to comment on the agency’s evaluation of the science and its conclusions. At this time, EPA encourages stakeholders to provide specific studies beyond those identified in the summary document for potential consideration.The open literature review is available for a 30-day public comment period in docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0361. Comments must be submitted at regulations.govby September 24, 2026. Learn more about EPA’s review of glyphosate.Maine State Government is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Manage Preferences & Unsubscribe | Help | Credits | Contact Us |
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