Teeth For Safety A c t
The n e w Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970 w e n t into effect April 28. It requires a record of all accidents
involving employees and a healthy working a t m o s p h e r e . It affects any business
w i t h employees which m i g h t be termed a s t o r e , plant or b u s i n e s s . To d a t e ,
there's been little or no e n f o r c e m e n t , but 70 plus inspectors are n o w being
trained each w e e k by the Labor Department to beef up the enforcement s t a f f .
Look for a check of your operation this n e x t y e a r . You can get a copy of the
Act from the U . S . Labor D e p t .
A n i m a l and Plant Health Service
A n e w department of the Federal government
and a n e w regulatory a g e n c y . Proposal is that the n e w arm w i l l handle USDA
A g r i c u l t u r a l Research Service regulatory functions including plant protection
and o t h e r s . Acting administrator is D r . Francis J . M u l h e r n , n o w associate
administrator of A R S .
Environmental Pesticide Control Act
Passed the House by a 288 to 91 v o t e .
A c t i v i t y n o w shifts to the S e n a t e . An amendment adopted by the House w o u l d
allow states to restrict either general use pesticides or restricted use
pesticides m o r e drastically than the Environmental Protection A g e n c y . Originally the House committee version would have prevented states from exceeding
Federal restrictions on general use m a t e r i a l s . Uniform labelling is still a
part of the House approved p a c k a g e . The Senate committee on A g r i c u l t u r e and
Forestry is expected to conduct hearings shortly on the b i l l .
Gypsy M o t h Spread Acute
USDA's A n i m a l and Plant Health Service is designing
intensified regulatory and control measures to m i n i m i z e gypsy m o t h spread
(the m a i n source of w h i c h is long-distance artificial spread by m o b i l e homes
and t r a i l e r s ) . A n e w 5-year research and development program is u n d e r w a y . It
w i l l concentrate m a i n l y on selective biological controls w i t h a limited use of
c h e m i c a l s . Of 2 m i l l i o n acres suffering light to severe defoliation this y e a r ,
the greatest area was in Connecticut w i t h 655,000 a c r e s . Other states h a r d e s t
h i t : P e n n s y l v a n i a , 598,000 acres; New Y o r k , 479,000 acres; New J e r s e y , 18,000
acres; and M a s s a c h u s e t t s , 18,000 a c r e s .
Secretary of Agriculture Nomination
Long-time dean of agriculture at Purdue
U n i v e r s i t y , and n o w v i c e - p r e s i d e n t , Earl L . Butz has been nominated to succeed
Clifford M . Hardin as Secretary of A g r i c u l t u r e . The S e n a t e , in a difficult to
understand s t a l l , has not as yet (at presstime) approved the n o m i n a t i o n . B u t z ,
an Indiana n a t i v e , has a lifetime career as educator and administrator at
P u r d u e . He also served as assistant secretary of agriculture in the Eisenhower
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . He is probably the best known agricultural dean of this generation and one of the staunchest supporters for the family f a r m .