§ 3-362 — Powers and duties

A. The director is responsible for administering this article and shall:

1. Conduct investigations, on complaint and on his own initiative, regarding violations of this article and compile information necessary to administer this article.

2. Take timely action necessary to enforce this article against violators including seeking injunctive relief and other penalties and sanctions authorized by this article.

3. Publish a list of pesticides, by common and proprietary names, which the director determines to be highly toxic, odoriferous, such as profenofos, sulprofos, def and merphos and other pesticides with similar odoriferous characteristics, or otherwise appropriate for inclusion and shall include in that list paraquat and gramoxone.

4. Submit to the United States environmental protection agency a state plan for issuing, monitoring, and controlling experimental use permits pursuant to section 5 of the federal insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide act (7 United States Code section 136c(f)).

5. Develop systems and procedures to encourage and ensure public contact with the department, which may include:

(a) A telephone hotline for pesticide complaints, which is operated and publicized by the department.

(b) Outreach and education programs to inform the general public and solicit input regarding pesticide use and public health, safety and the environment.

B. The director may enter into intergovernmental agreements pursuant to title 11, chapter 7, article 3 if the agreement is necessary to more effectively administer the powers and duties described in this article.