The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded an Oklahoma agency nearly $217,000 to implement pesticide programs.
The grant to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is part of an agreement between the state and federal agencies to support Oklahoma in continuing to administer an effective pesticide regulatory and enforcement program.
The funds will pay for enforcement, applicator certification, worker protection standards and endangered species programs, among other things.
All pesticides must be registered with the EPA. Farms or companies that apply the pesticides must also comply with the Worker Protection Standards program to protect agricultural workers from the effects of pesticide exposure.