§ 2-2626. Department; powers, functions, and duties.

The department shall have the following powers, functions, and duties: (1) To administer, implement, and enforce the Pesticide Act and serve as the lead state agency for the regulation of pesticides. The department shall involve the natural resources districts and other state agencies, including the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, in matters relating to water quality. Nothing in the act shall be interpreted in any way to affect the powers of any other state agency or of any natural resources district to regulate for ground water quality or surface water quality as otherwise provided by law; (2) To be responsible for the development and implementation of a state management plan and pesticide management plans. The Department of Water, Energy, and Environment shall be responsible for the adoption of standards for pesticides in surface water, ground water, and drinking water. These standards shall be established as action levels in the state management plan and pesticide management plans at which prevention and mitigation measures are implemented. Such action levels may be set at or below the maximum contaminant level set for any product as set by the federal agency under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, 42 U.S.C. 300f et seq., as the act existed on January 1, 2021. The Department of Agriculture shall cooperate with and use existing expertise in other state agencies when developing the state management plan and pesticide management plans and shall not hire a hydrologist within the department for such purpose; (3) After notice and public hearing, to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations providing lists of state-limited-use pesticides for the entire state or for a designated area within the state, subject to the following: (a) A pesticide shall be included on a list of state-limited-use pesticides if: (i) The Department of Agriculture determines that the pesticide, when used in accordance with its directions for use, warnings, and cautions and for uses for which it is registered, may without additional regulatory restrictions cause unreasonable adverse effects on humans or the environment, including injury to the applicator or other persons because of acute dermal or inhalation toxicity of the pesticides; (ii) The water quality standards set by the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment pursuant to this section are exceeded; or (iii) The Department of Agriculture determines that the pesticide requires additional restrictions to meet the requirements of the Pesticide Act, the federal act, or any plan adopted under the Pesticide Act or the federal act; (b) The Department of Agriculture may regulate the specific time, locations, and conditions restricting the use of a state-limited-use pesticide, including allowable quantities or concentrations, and may require that it be purchased or possessed only with permission or under the direct supervision of the department or its designee; (c) The Department of Agriculture may require a person authorized to distribute or use a state-limited-use pesticide to maintain records of the person's distribution or use and may require that the records be kept separate from other business records; (d) The state management plan and pesticide management plans shall be coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and other state agency plans and with other state agencies and with natural resources districts; (e) The state management plan and pesticide management plans may impose progressively more rigorous pesticide management practices as pesticides are detected in ground water or surface water at increasing fractions of the standards adopted by the Department of Water, Energy, and Environment; and (f) A pesticide management plan may impose progressively more rigorous pesticide management practices to address any unreasonable adverse effect of pesticides on humans or the environment. When appropriate, a pesticide management plan may establish action levels for imposition of such progressively more rigorous management practices based upon measurable indicators of the adverse effect on humans or the environment; (4) To adopt and promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary for the enforcement and administration of the Pesticide Act. The regulations may include, but not be limited to, regulations providing for: (a) The collection of samples, examination of records, and reporting of information by persons subject to the act; (b) The safe handling, transportation, storage, display, distribution, use, and disposal of pesticides and their containers; (c) Labeling requirements of all pesticides required to be registered under provisions of the act, except that such regulations shall not impose any requirements for federally registered labels contrary to those required pursuant to the federal act; (d) Classes of devices which shall be subject to the Pesticide Act; (e) Reporting and record-keeping requirements for persons distributing or using pesticide products made available under 7 U.S.C. 136i-1 of the federal act and for persons required to keep records under the Pesticide Act; (f) Methods to be used in the application of pesticides when the Department of Agriculture finds that such regulations are necessary to carry out the purpose and intent of the Pesticide Act. Such regulations may include methods to be used in the application of a restricted-use pesticide or state-limited-use pesticide, may relate to the time, place, manner, methods, materials, amounts, and concentrations in connection with the use of the pesticide, may restrict or prohibit use of the pesticides in designated areas during specified periods of time, and may provide specific examples and technical interpretations of subdivision (4) of section 2-2646. The regulations shall encompass all reasonable factors which the department deems necessary to prevent damage or injury by drift or misapplication to (i) plants, including forage plants, or adjacent or nearby property, (ii) wildlife in the adjoining or nearby areas, (iii) fish and other aquatic life in waters in reasonable proximity to the area to be treated, (iv) surface water or ground water, and (v) humans, animals, or beneficial insects. In adopting and promulgating such regulations, the department shall give consideration to pertinent research findings and recommendations of other agencies of the state, the federal government, or other reliable sources. The department may, by regulation, require that notice of a proposed use of a pesticide be given to landowners whose property is adjacent to the property to be treated or in the immediate vicinity thereof if the department finds that such notice is necessary to carry out the purpose of the act; (g) State-limited-use pesticides for the state or for designated areas in the state; (h) Establishment of the amount of any fee or fine as directed by the act; (i) Establishment of the components of any state management plan or pesticide management plan; (j) Establishment of categories for licensed pesticide applicators in addition to those established in 40 C.F.R. part 171, as such regulations existed on January 1, 2019; and (k) Establishment of a process for the issuance of permits for emergency-use pesticides made available under 7 U.S.C. 136p of the federal act; (5) To enter any public or private premises at any reasonable time to: (a) Inspect and sample any equipment authorized or required to be inspected under the Pesticide Act or to inspect the premises on which the equipment is kept or stored; (b) Inspect or sample any area exposed or reported to be exposed to a pesticide or where a pesticide use has occurred; (c) Inspect and sample any area where a pesticide is disposed of or stored; (d) Observe the use and application of and sample any pesticide; (e) Inspect and copy any records relating to the distribution or use of any pesticide or the issuance of any license, permit, or registration under the act; or (f) Inspect, examine, or take samples from any application equipment, building, or place owned, controlled, or operated by any person engaging in an activity regulated by the act if, from probable cause, it appears that the application equipment, building, or place contains a pesticide; (6) To sample, inspect, make analysis of, and test any pesticide found within this state; (7) To issue and enforce a written or printed order to stop the sale, removal, or use of a pesticide if the Department of Agriculture has reason to believe that the pesticide or use of the pesticide is in violation of any provision of the act. The department shall present the order to the owner or custodian of the pesticide. The person who receives the order shall not distribute, remove, or use the pesticide until the department determines that the pesticide or its use is in compliance with the act. This subdivision shall not limit the right of the department to proceed as authorized by any other provision of the act; (8)(a) To sue in the name of the director to enjoin any violation of the act. Venue for such action shall be in the county in which the alleged violation occurred, is occurring, or is threatening to occur; and (b) To request the county attorney or the Attorney General to bring suit to enjoin a violation or threatened violation of the act; (9) To impose or levy an administrative fine of not more than five thousand dollars for each violation on any person who has violated any provision, requirement, condition, limitation, or duty imposed by the act or rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to the act. A violation means each action which violates any separate or distinct provision, requirement, condition, limitation, or duty imposed by the act or rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to the act; (10) To cause a violation warning letter to be served upon the alleged violator or violators pursuant to the act; (11) To take reasonable measures to assess and collect all fees and fines prescribed by the act and the rules or regulations adopted under the act; (12) To access, inspect, and copy all books, papers, records, bills of lading, invoices, and other information relating to the use, manufacture, repackaging, and distribution of pesticides necessary for the enforcement of the act; (13) To seize, for use as evidence, without formal warrant if probable cause exists, any pesticide which is in violation of the act or is not approved by the Department of Agriculture or which is found to be used or distributed in the violation of the act or the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated under it; (14) To adopt classifications of restricted-use pesticides as determined by the federal agency under the federal act. In addition to the restricted-use pesticides classified by the administrator, the Department of Agriculture may also determine state-limited-use pesticides for the state or for designated areas within the state as provided in subdivision (3) of this section; (15) To receive grants-in-aid from any federal entity, and to enter into cooperative agreements with any federal entity, any agency of this state, any subdivision of this state, any agency of another state, any Indian tribe, or any private person for the purpose of obtaining consistency with or assistance in the implementation of the Pesticide Act. The Department of Agriculture may reimburse any such entity from the Pesticide Administrative Cash Fund for the work performed under the cooperative agreement. The department may delegate its administrative responsibilities under the act to cities of the metropolitan and primary classes if it reasonably believes that such cities can perform the responsibilities in a manner consistent with the act and the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated under it; (16) To prepare and adopt such plans as are necessary to implement any requirements of the federal agency under the federal act; (17) To request the assistance of the Attorney General or the county attorney in the county in which a violation of the Pesticide Act has occurred with the prosecution or enforcement of any violation of the act; (18) To enter into a settlement agreement with any person regarding the disposition of any license, permit, registration, or administrative fine; (19) To issue a cease and desist order pursuant to section 2-2649; (20) To deny an application or cancel, suspend, or modify the registration of a pesticide pursuant to section 2-2632; (21) To issue, cancel, suspend, modify, or place on probation any license or permit issued pursuant to the act; and (22) To make such reports to the federal agency as are required under the federal act. History: Laws 1993, LB 588, § 5; Laws 1996, LB 1044, § 38; Laws 2000, LB 900, § 50; Laws 2002, LB 93, § 1; Laws 2002, LB 436, § 5; Laws 2006, LB 874, § 3; Laws 2007, LB296, § 17; Laws 2010, LB254, § 7; Laws 2013, LB69, § 2; Laws 2019, LB302, § 11; Laws 2019, LB320, § 2; Laws 2021, LB148, § 39; Laws 2025, LB317, § 24.