| March 18, 2021 |
| NAAA Submits Comments to EPA on Agency’s Second Proposed, Revised NPDES PGP |
| NAAA has submitted comments on the EPA’s proposed reissuance of a
five-year National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Pesticide General Permit (PGP) for Point Source Discharges. This is the
second five-year reissuance of the EPA’s NPDES-PGP. The first was issued
in 2016, five years after the initial PGP went into effect in 2011.
NAAA maintains its historical position was that PGPs should not be legally
required for applications of pesticides made in a manner fully
consistent with EPA-approved label restrictions and the scientific
parameters established for the safe use of pesticides. Read More |
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| Additional $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Law Includes Potential Aide for General Aviation Airports, Ag Aviation Businesses and Associations |
| President Biden signed a new $1.9 trillion stimulus package titled The
American Rescue Plan Act on March 11. The bill provides $1,400 direct
payments to individuals making up to $75,000 annually, $350 billion in
aid to state and local governments and $14 billion for vaccine
distribution, among other things. Of particular note to ag aviators, the
new law includes $14 billion for the Payroll Support Program (PSP) to
air carriers, including commercial general aviation operators. Read More |
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| NAAA Continues to Support Aerial Applications of Glyphosate by Commenting on Endangered Species Assessment |
| Last week NAAA submitted comments to the EPA on the biological evaluation (BE) for the reregistration of glyphosate. Read More |
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| New Non-Member Pricing Established to Attend the Ag Aviation Expo |
 NAAA is excited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the aerial
application industry in Savannah during the 2021 Ag Aviation Expo Dec.
6-9. With the multiple extravaganzas planned to celebrate the centennial
this year and to encourage ag aviation
operators, pilots, crew, allied businesses and affiliated individuals to
join the association, NAAA leadership established a policy that to
avoid a higher attendee fee, NAAA recommends NAAA membership to attend
the show and save money. Read More |
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| NAAA Adds Ag-Cat Aircraft and PT6-34AG Engine to Live Auction Items to Help Celebrate 100 Years of Aerial Application at 2021 Ag Aviation Expo |
NAAA has received two very generous donations for this year’s Live Auction. Audible and heartfelt “thank
you” to Pratt & Whitney Canada for donating a PT6-34AG engine to
this year’s NAAA Live Auction. Also, most
sincere “thank you” to Darrel and Deb Mertens of Aero Applicators Inc.,
Sterling, Colorado, for donating a Grumman Ag-Cat G-164 A two-seat,
open-cockpit aircraft. Read More |
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| Shine a Light on the Industry’s Unsung Heroes! |
| Use NAAA’s easy online awards form to submit a 2021 Award nomination |
 The aerial application industry is filled with exceptional people who go above and beyond the call of duty, often with little fanfare. Make someone’s day, year or career by nominating him or her for a 2021 NAAA Award! NAAA’s online submission form is the fastest and simplest way to nominate someone in just a few clicks.
Read More |
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| In Case You Missed It! |
| NAAA Targets Ag Retailers, Farmers with Spring Ad Buys |
 NAAA’s ad campaign promoting the benefits of aerial application to
farmers and ag retailers is back and in full swing for the 2021 season. A
March 8 ad in AgWeb AM, one of Farm Journal Media’s largest
newsletters, kicked off a six-week email advertising run. On the print
side, the first of two ads in The Scoop will
appear in the magazine’s March 2021 issue. Read More |
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| NAAA Defends the Aerial Applications of Chlorpyrifos |
Earlier this month, NAAA submitted comments to the EPA to argue against
prohibiting aerial applications of chlorpyrifos. The comments were in
response to the EPA’s proposed interim decision for chlorpyrifos.
Read More |
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| Innovative Wire Marker Tool Now Available Stateside |
 Wire collisions make up a significant number of accidents annually in
the aerial application industry due to the difficulty in seeing such
wires used for either telecommunications or power transmission. Now a U.S. dealer for the Australian company Balmoral Engineering is established stateside to market the much-easier-to-see “Rotamarka” wire marker, which attaches to transmission wires. Read More |
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| Little Rock FSDO FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) Presents Webinar on Aerial Applicators Working in Areas with UAS |
| On March 4, NAAA staff along with Damon Reabe, Wisconsin ag aviation
operator and chairman of NAAA’s Government Relations Committee,
participated in a Little Rock, Arkansas, FSDO FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam)
webinar titled “Aerial Applicators Working in Areas with UAS.” The
target audience was UAS operators working in the agricultural
environment, and the presentations focused on how to work safely
together to prevent an accident between manned and unmanned aircraft. Read More |
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| Canadian Ag Aviation Industry Told by Their Regulatory Agency to Follow Labeled GPA Rate—Same Message Applies to U.S. Ag Aviators |
The Canadian Aerial Applicators Association received a letter from its government’s Pesticide Compliance Program (PCP)—a part
of the Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency. During inspections of Canadian aerial application operations, PCP inspectors noted situations where ag aviators were
using lower spray application rates than the minimum GPA allowed by the label. Just like in the U.S., this
is a violation of the pesticide label and the law. Read More |
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| Whether You’re a Pilot, Operator or Allied Business, Support the Centennial Celebration of Aerial Application — Many More Sponsorship Opportunities Available |
 This year, the
agricultural aviation industry is celebrating its first 100 years of
service of providing food, fiber and bioenergy, in addition to
protecting forestry and controlling health-threatening pests, to our
great nation. As NAAA prepares for this centennial celebration, we
invite you to take part as a donor and participant in this
once-in-a-lifetime anniversary. Read More |
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| NAAA Joins Hands to Attain FBO Fee Transparency and Standardization of FAA Airport Diagrams |
 NAAA recently joined the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and many other state/regional agricultural aviation associations and
national general aviation associations in calling for fixed-base
operator fee transparency at the nation’s public-use airports. Read More |
|
Pesticide General Permit (PGP) for Point Source Discharges. This is the
second five-year reissuance of the EPA’s NPDES-PGP. The first was issued
in 2016, five years after the initial PGP went into effect in 2011.
NAAA maintains its historical position was that PGPs should not be legally
required for applications of pesticides made in a manner fully
consistent with EPA-approved label restrictions and the scientific
parameters established for the safe use of pesticides.){kind=small}
 to
air carriers, including commercial general aviation operators.){kind=small}
 for the reregistration of glyphosate.){kind=small}
webinar titled “Aerial Applicators Working in Areas with UAS.” The
target audience was UAS operators working in the agricultural
environment, and the presentations focused on how to work safely
together to prevent an accident between manned and unmanned aircraft.){kind=small}
—a part
of the Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency. During inspections of Canadian aerial application operations, PCP inspectors noted situations where ag aviators were
using lower spray application rates than the minimum GPA allowed by the label. Just like in the U.S., this
is a violation of the pesticide label and the law.){kind=small}
