CCE has offered NYS DEC Special Permit Training (SPT) in New York for the last 17 seasons, training over 500 farm employees in 2016. Special Permit holders are legally authorized to apply specified federal restricted use pesticides (FRUP) without the direct on-site supervision of a NYS DEC certified pesticide applicator. Special Permits are valid for one season only and must be renewed annually.

• The new regulations eliminate the provision that allows states to develop and implement Special Permit Training Programs, which will effectively cancel SPT at some point, but possibly not for another 2 or 3 years (see below).
• The prior regulations will remain in force until such time that NYS DEC develops and implements the new regulations (which may take 2-3 years).
• In the meantime, the Special Permit Training Program now falls into an uncertain state regulatory environment.
• Cornell Pesticide Management and Education Program (PMEP) specialists are reviewing the newly published regulations, and we expect to hear more details from them shortly.
• CCE staff is moving forward with SPT for 2017, but at this time we cannot be certain that an SPT program will be approved by the NYS DEC for 2017.
• The situation may become more challenging for 2018 and beyond. As stated earlier, the new regulations will not allow the issuance of Special Permits by states. This means that those farm employees who have held a Special Permit in the past will have two options: to pass the exam and become certified private applicators, or lose the ability to legally apply FRUP's without direct on-site supervision.
• The White House recently issued a statement that the implementation of all new pending federal regulations that have not already been published in the Federal Register will be placed on temporary hold for further review. The new pesticide applicator certification regulations were published in the Federal Register earlier in January but have not yet been implemented. Hence, depending on the exact legal language of the presidential directive, their current status needs further clarification.