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Author: Gregg Robertson

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Gregg Robertson

Gregg Robertson, Landscape Management's government relations blogger, is a government relations consultant for the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association (PLNA) and president of Conewago Ventures. From 2002 until May 2013 he served as president of PLNA. Reach him at gregg.robertson@conewagoventures.com.

Government Affairs: Northeastern states ratchet up their regulation of invasive plants

Two recent actions by Pennsylvania and Maryland are tightening controls on invasive plants in those states. Five other states in the Northeastern U.S. have laws and regulations that ban certain plant species that have been deemed invasive: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Maryland The Maryland Department of Agriculture published a regulation on […]

Government Affairs: Landscape contractors will face new federal regulations in 2016

The Obama Administration, now in its last year, is trying to push through a number of new regulations that will affect landscape contractors before time runs out. Here is a run-down of the new regulatory packages that may impact your business and one that may not. New Pesticide Rules One of the latest regulatory changes […]

Government Affairs: Congress comes through with H-2B Band-Aid… will rip it off in nine months

In my December blog, when I listed H-2B guest worker program reforms as one of Congress’ pieces of unfinished business for landscape contractors, I had very little hope that anything would pass. But thanks to the hard work of our national associations, AmericanHort and the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP), language providing H-2B relief […]

Government Affairs: Congress’ unfinished business for landscapers

This year was not a productive year for Congress dealing with issues important to landscape contractors. For that matter, 2015 was not a productive year for Congress by any measure. Although both the House and Senate are controlled by the Republican Party, deep internal divisions among Republican House members, kept much of anything meaningful from […]

Government Affairs: Will compost be the end of boxwoods?

Boxwoods have been one of the “go to” landscape plants for landscape contractors and homeowners in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S., but boxwoods’ days may be numbered. A fungal disease that causes boxwood leaves to yellow and drop, eventually leading to the weakening and eventual death of the boxwood from secondary diseases, is gaining a […]

Government Affairs: EPA overhauls pesticide applicator rules

If it seems to you that there have been a lot of new regulations coming from the federal government lately, you’d be right. The Obama administration, knowing its days are numbered, has been proposing and pushing through an unprecedented number of new rules. New Waters of the U.S. regulations, increasing the salary limit for non-exempt employees, […]

Government Affairs: Will proposed OT regs affect you?

New regulations proposed by the federal Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division could ratchet up your labor costs and make audits of your payroll records potentially even more expensive. Employees who are exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) now must meet three criteria:they must be paid a salary; that […]

Government Affairs: Complying with truck/trailer safety regs

As the government relations consultant for the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association (PLNA), one of the most frequent calls I get is from members who have just had one of their trucks pulled over by the police and been given a huge fine for violations of state and federal motor carrier safety regulations. Fines in […]

Government Affairs: In support of WOTUS

The reaction to the recent announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it would publish as final the controversial “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) regulations has been immediate and negative. The regulations are opposed by green industry groups, such as and the National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and AmericanHort. Some of this […]

Government Affairs: New WOTUS regs: Should you be worried?

On May 27, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army said they are publishing final, new controversial regulations that define the term “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). This move follows more than a year of acrimonious debate since the EPA and Army first published these […]

Government Affairs: Lowe’s joins Home Depot in phasing out neonics

On April 9 Lowe’s said it’s phasing out shelf products that contain neonicotinoid-containing pesticides (neonics) and will work with growers over the next four years to eliminate the use of neonics on bee-attractive plants they sell. Lowe’s made the announcement on page 27 of its 2014 “Social Responsibility Report” in a section titled “Listening to […]

Government Affairs: Riding the H-2B roller coaster

For many landscape contractors, having a good season depends on getting their H-2B workers on time and in the numbers they requested. This season has been challenging, to say the least, for those expecting to fill out their spring and summer crews with H-2B workers. H-2B is the federal guest worker program that grants temporary […]

Government Affairs: GMOs in the managed landscape

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have become controversial over the past couple of years as the science used to manipulate the genetic code of both plants and animals has become more sophisticated. While much of the controversy over genetic engineering (GE) has revolved around food crops, recent announcements of two nonfood GMOs—a strain of Kentucky bluegrass […]

Government Affairs: Crackdown on ‘cosmetic’ pesticide use

Anti-pesticide forces are seeing some success in convincing local governments to ban “cosmetic” pesticides. The anti-pesticide activists define cosmetic pesticides as those used to make lawns and the general landscape look better. In other words, most of the pesticides used by the green industry. In July 2013, Takoma Park, Md., passed the Safe Grow Act […]

Government Affairs: The bamboo battle intensifies

State and local governments are beginning to outlaw bamboo as a nuisance or are regulating how and where it can be planted. Bamboo has often been used as landscape “problem solver.” Certain species of bamboo grow quickly, forming a dense screen that can reach 40 feet or more. The straight bamboo canes offer an interesting […]

Government Affairs: The next move on immigration reform

On Nov. 20, President Barack Obama announced a series of executive actions that would defer deportation for an estimated 4.5 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the U.S. The executive actions had been anticipated since last spring, but the Obama administration postponed taking action to give Congress the opportunity to act on comprehensive immigration reform […]

Government Affairs: Unfinished business

As the 113th U.S. Congress comes to the end of its term in December, many are calling it the most unproductive Congress in history. Partisan wrangling rather than constructive legislative work seemed to have been the order of the day throughout this Congress’ two-year history. Left undone are at least three pieces of legislation that […]

Government Affairs: Immigration reform at a standstill

For some months now, the Obama administration has been threatening to use presidential executive powers to fix the broken immigration system in the face of congressional inaction. In frustration over the lack of action by the House on immigration reform issues, in early May President Barack Obama ordered Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to review […]

Photo: PublicDomainPictures.net

Government Affairs: Neonicotinoids on trial

The class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids have been a boon to the landscape management industry. Chemically similar to nicotine, the “neonics” are effective and less toxic to mammals and birds than many of the previous generation of organophosphate and carbomate insecticides. Not only are neonics effective in controlling a wide variety of insect pests, […]

Government Affairs: Lyme disease a problem, opportunity

In June, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed bipartisan legislation designed to find solutions to the growing Lyme disease problem. Cases of Lyme disease are expected to top 5,000 in Pennsylvania when all the data for 2012 is compiled. Lyme disease, a debilitating condition caused by bacteria related to the syphilis bacteria, is a major concern […]

Photo: Kim Newburg/PublicDomainPictures.net

Government affairs: Delayed reform

In my June blog, I expressed some hope a window had opened a crack to move immigration reform forward in Congress: House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) were sending positive signals the House would move bills; The Obama administration had suspended efforts to seek administrative solutions in lieu of congressional […]

Government Affairs: Opportunity for immigration reform

Just when possibility for Congressional action this year on immigration reform seemed doomed, a small breeze came in through the window. Players on the Republican and Democratic sides of the issue seem to agree there is narrow window of opportunity for immigration reform in June and July this summer. That window has been created by […]

Government Affairs: ‘Waters of the U.S.’

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) set off a firestorm of protest, especially with farmers, when on April 21 they jointly issued a proposed regulation under the Clean Water Act (CWA). At stake, according to some, is your ability to use your land without significant interference from EPA […]

Photo: PLANET Philippe Nobile Photography

Government affairs: Lawns under assault

April is National Lawn Care Month, which is fitting because it puts front and center our most popular landscape feature, residential lawns. They cover up to 40.5 million acres in the U.S. and are under assault like never before. In the west, lawns are facing water shortages. In the east, the problem is related to […]

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