At his first major public appearance as the new administrator for U.S. EPA Region 9, Josh Cook drew on his roots in Central Valley agriculture to call for stronger federal–state partnerships, science-based regulation and durable policymaking that serves both agriculture and the environment. Speaking at the Western Plant Health Regulatory Conference in Sacramento last week, Cook’s keynote capped a broader program that showcased California’s regulatory reforms, emerging pesticide technologies, and efforts to reduce backlogs and modernize oversight.
Department of Pesticide Regulation Director Karen Morrison shared the latest developments on CalPEST and sustainable pest management, while other panel discussions covered treated seeds and digital upgrades to the registration system.
From the field to the front office
Cook is now overseeing a sprawling jurisdiction that spans California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Pacific territories like Guam and American Samoa. Cook shared with the fertilizer and crop protection manufacturers his desire to reform how EPA regulates pesticides, water and air quality in a way that protects human health without undermining productivity.
“I’ve applied pesticides, I’ve applied fumigants and I’ve been around people applying,” Cook told attendees. “I know the vital importance of what you do.”
Raised in the farming town of Gridley in the Sacramento Valley, Cook recounted working in walnut orchards as a teenager and later operating fruit cocktail lines at Pacific Coast Producers. His agricultural background, he said, shaped not only his work ethic but also his commitment to protecting the nation’s food system while ensuring environmental safeguards.
“I speak Spanish. I have been a farmworker. I know what you do here,” he said, describing recent visits to fields near Fowler to meet with farmworkers and assess EPA field programs firsthand.
Cook now oversees a vast and diverse region that faces some of the country’s most pressing environmental challenges — from wildfire smoke and drought in California to aging water infrastructure in Hawaii and solid waste issues in the Pacific Islands. His office also plays a central role in implementing landmark federal environmental laws: the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.
But it’s the connection to state agencies and county agricultural commissioners that Cook singled out as essential. In a nod to California’s unique regulatory structure, Cook pushed back on recent criticism of local enforcement.
“I fundamentally believe the best form of government is the one that’s closest to the people,” he said, reasoning they live with what they regulate. “You think they're going to let the guy down the street poison the aquifer, when he lives at the other end of the street and he’s going to go home and drink it? I just don't see that happening. And I don't see in my years of working in government that county ag commissioners are somehow just asleep at the switch.”
Regulatory overhaul and permitting speed
Cook’s keynote highlighted a flurry of early activity at EPA since his appointment, including a dramatic reduction in pesticide registration backlogs. At the start of the administration, he said, the agency was sitting on 14,000 pesticide permit applications. That number is now down to 4,000, thanks in part to the addition of 60 new staff and an internal reorganization.
“We reorganized, got rid of 30% of that backlog in 100 days,” Cook said, citing the need to permit pesticides in way that avoids stranding growers with one registered product but not its complementary tool.
He also framed the changes as part of a broader shift toward durable, science-based rulemaking — with an emphasis on avoiding the whiplash of four-year political swings.
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“We have to make changes that are sustainable and not subject to back-and-forth every four years,” he said, referencing the Waters of the United States rule as a case study in regulatory instability.
Cook did not directly reference the Trump administration’s broader environmental posture but aligned himself with EPA Administrator David Zeldin and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a more holistic view of environmental and public health regulation, with a regulatory framework “that’s fair, that’s just, that’s equitable and it’s kind.”
Durability, investment and ‘American confidence’
Cook stressed the theme of “American confidence,” describing how EPA’s work must balance environmental protection with economic opportunity. He pointed to Arizona’s semiconductor manufacturing boom — supported by Taiwanese investment and championed by Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly — as an example of how clean air attainment and permitting must move faster to meet national goals.
“The average time to commit a mine in America is 29 years,” he said. “I've got eight mines on my priority list. It shouldn't be more than three. … We have the best scientists in the world. We can find out what the problems are and how to mitigate them, if we want to.”
He praised the San Joaquin Valley air district for cutting pollution by more than 90% over about 25 years, calling them “A and B students” who shouldn’t feel defeated by the remaining 2% of emissions reductions that costs $4 billion to control.
“They’ve replaced 15,000 Tier 1 tractor motors,” he said. “They’ve done what they needed to do.”
But he criticized what he sees as rhetorical overreach and insufficient action in states like California, where he said policy leaders talk about climate change without matching that with investments in water infrastructure or forest management.
“Where are you building water storage? Where are you making investments in electric vehicles, where you can actually have enough transmission for the vehicles?” he asked, arguing state agencies have relied too heavily on fees, taxes and regulations.
Agriculture as a national pillar
While acknowledging the polarized environment in which federal agencies now operate, Cook made clear he sees American agriculture as foundational not just to domestic wellbeing, but to global influence.
“American agriculture needs to be dominant,” he said. “Because we farm cleaner, better, faster — with better technology than any other place on the planet.”
He urged attendees to “adopt the attitude” of pride in the industry’s innovation and its global importance, citing California’s pesticide monitoring system and county commissioner structure as examples that many countries lack.
“If you want the tools to make food affordable, clean and safe, it has to fit into the larger framework,” he said, adding that true public health means addressing “grinding rates of poverty” as well as pollution.
Looking ahead, Cook said EPA will continue writing new rules, strengthening state partnerships and investing in science. But he closed with a call for dignity and recognition.
“Kindness is a good thing,” he said, applauding the work of U.S. industrial workers. “Every day I keep encountering people who are suddenly like, ‘Hey, wait. I do good things. I make the world better place.’”
DPR Dir. Karen Morrison (photo: Fred Greaves/Agri-Pulse)
DPR Dir. Karen Morrison (photo: Fred Greaves/Agri-Pulse)DPR eyes measurable goals and transparency
Opening the conference, DPR Director Karen Morrison delivered pre-recorded remarks while in Brazil, where she was participating in a CDFA-led trade delegation focused on climate-smart practices and streamlining the rollout of new biological products.
Morrison used the opportunity to reaffirm DPR’s strategic direction and report early progress on several agency priorities — especially pesticide registration reforms.
“This is my first time joining you as DPR’s director,” she said, noting that since her February appointment, she has focused on “operating within that balance” of maintaining rigorous science while improving registration timelines and transparency.
She cited “significant decreases in backlogs in four of our evaluation stations, between 15 and 40%,” as a promising sign that changes like team-based review and the new CalPEST tracking system are taking hold. DPR’s registration goals, she emphasized, include meeting statutory timelines by 2027, while adding staff and streamlining internal processes.
Morrison also previewed a packed two-day agenda from DPR staff at the conference, covering the new pesticide notification system, licensing changes, environmental justice updates and progress on sustainable pest management goals. One highlight: a $5 million annual expansion of grant funding, plus $1 million for SPM demonstration projects. She also noted that DPR’s pesticide prioritization process is intended to offer more transparency and external engagement around identifying mitigation and alternatives.
Her message reinforced DPR’s broader commitment to accountability, transparency and stakeholder collaboration.
“I look forward to finding additional points of connection and bringing that back to future conversations with all of you,” she said.
Other key discussions at the conference
Beyond Cook’s and Morrison’s remarks, the conference featured extensive updates from DPR staff and policy experts on pesticide registration, emerging regulatory frameworks and digital tools. DPR Registration Branch Chief Tulio Macedo reported that the CalPEST system now handles more than 70% of product applications and has helped reduce processing delays. Evaluation Branch Chief Jill Townzen added that DPR has nearly eliminated its backlog of unassigned product evaluations — down from 98 in microbiology alone to just three.
The sessions also previewed DPR’s plans to establish an emergency registration pathway, expand staffing to meet new statutory timelines, and host upcoming workshops on treated seed oversight and rodenticide mitigation. Multiple speakers emphasized the department’s efforts to align with EPA on data requirements and streamline communication with registrants.
The conference discussions highlighted a renewed focus on efficiency, transparency and scientific rigor across the regulatory system.
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