By Sarah Hughson

How do I schedule my online exam?

Your exam page in Learn @ Illinois Extension will have all the instructions to help you prepare for and schedule your exam.

To reach the exam page, visit the PSEP Training & Testing page, click either the orange “Commercial Exams” button or the blue “Private Exams” button. This will take you to Learn @ Illinois Extension, the site where all exams are hosted. Click the name of the exam you need. You will be prompted to Login or Create an Account. After logging in, you will be taken to an Enrollment page. Click the blue “Enroll Me” button and you will be taken to the exam page.

The exam page will walk you through creating an account with ProctorU and scheduling an exam in ProctorU. For the best experience, please read through all of the instructions prior to scheduling your exam.

Can I schedule multiple employees for an online exam?

Each employee must have their own account on Learn @ Illinois Extension and ProctorU. Each ProctorU account holder will need to add the exam to their cart and pay individually. This can make it difficult to schedule exams for others.

How can I see the times that are available for my exam?

After enrolling in your exam on the Learn @ Illinois Extension, go to the exam page. This page will walk you through all the directions for the exam. Click on the green button that says “Schedule Exam,” this will take you to the ProctorU exam page, where you can create an account, see all the available exam times and select the one that works for you.

What if I don’t see the exam times?

If you do not see any times, please go back to the Learn @ Illinois Extension exam page and click the green “Schedule Exam” button.

These exams cannot be searched within ProctorU, you must use the button on the exam page to see the available exam times and schedule. This prevents our clients from getting lost in the sea of exams offered on ProctorU.

How much does the online exam cost?

The online exam itself is free. However, there is a $12 fee paid to ProctorU for each exam attempt. The EPA requires that a proctor be present during all pesticide safety exams. ProctorU is a service that allows proctors to be present for each exam. The $12 pays ProctorU and their employees for this service.

We recommend scheduling your exam at least 72 hours before the time you would like to take the exam. You can still schedule an exam the same day you would like to take it but ProctorU may charge a short notice scheduling fee of $12, called Take it Now, on top of your exam fee. To avoid this fee, we recommend scheduling 72 hours prior to the time you would like to take your exam.

How can I reschedule or cancel an exam?

Rescheduling and cancelling must occur before the exam begins. Login to your ProctorU account and click the “Reschedule” or “Cancel” button next to your exam or contact ProctorU at (855) 772-8678.

How can I get a refund for my $12?

Go to the ProctorU website and submit a request for a refund or call ProctorU at (855) 772-8678. The Pesticide Safety Education Program team at UofI and employees at IDA cannot issue a refund because they do not have access to ProctorU’s payment system.

What if I have online exam questions that are not related to scheduling?

For more information about online exams, please visit our Online Exam Instructions and FAQ page. This is the fastest way to get answers to the most common questions we receive. If your question was not on the FAQ page, call:

General online exam or licensing questions: IDA (800) 641-3934
                Online exam refund, scheduling or software: ProctorU (855) 772-8678
                Technical support for Learn @ Illinois Extension: PSEP (800) 644-2123 or (217) 244-2123

By Michelle Wiesbrook

Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim has announced ten upcoming Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) one-day collection locations for the spring of 2023. Each year, Illinois EPA provides residents with free HHW collection events to safely dispose of unused or leftover hazardous products commonly found in homes. Illinois EPA HHW collections continue to be contactless for the safety of participants and workers. Collection events are funded through the Illinois EPA's Solid Waste Fund.

“The Illinois EPA is pleased to announce we are resuming one-day Household Hazardous Waste collection events in Illinois. These events receive tremendous response from residents, and we know they were missed during the unexpected delay in collections. We are also happy to announce long-term collection locations in Chicago, Naperville, Rockford, Lake County, and Madison County are back to accepting all approved residential waste items,” said Director Kim. “We would like to thank our local partners and co-sponsors who have worked to make these collections possible, providing residents with opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted chemicals and potentially hazardous products.”

One-day collections are open to all Illinois residents and operate from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the day of the event. Pre-registration is required for all of the spring 2023 collection events. Residents participating in these events are encouraged to bring chemical cleaners, oil-based paints, thinners, antifreeze, motor oil, gasoline, kerosene, weed killers, insecticides, and pesticides, old or outdated medication, and similar hazardous household products. Fluorescent and other high-intensity discharge lamps may also be brought to the collections. ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED include latex paint, explosives, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, agricultural chemicals, and business wastes.

For safe transport of HHW, residents are asked to:

• Pack HHW items in a disposable box to avoid spilling during transport.
• Keep like chemicals together and separate unlike chemicals.
• Secure lids and make sure containers are not leaking.
• Place box(es) of HHW in empty trunk or storage compartment of your vehicle, away from passengers during transport.
• Remain in vehicle at collection site. On-site personnel will remove the HHW from your vehicle.

A complete list of wastes that are and are not accepted is available online at https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/waste-management/waste-disposal/household-hazardous-waste/acceptable-wastes.html. The spring 2023 one-day collections are scheduled on Saturdays as follows:

• April 15 – Champaign, Champaign County, State Farm Center, 1800 South First Street, Pre-Register:  https://hhwevent.simplybook.me/v2/
• April 22 – South Holland, Cook County, South Suburban College, 15800 S. State St., Pre-Register:  https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=rlVNi7RtBU6oXFnWolbNbsl0iaMKdqxNnSkQ3rneVn1URENQR1NDTkcyQzNDWDRaODJHSUpNMDdaRi4u&wdLOR=c1F579DC6-3E15-48BF-B86C-AAA2FA5B0691
• April 29 – Ottawa, LaSalle County, LaSalle County Court House, 707 East Etna Road, Pre-Register:  https://lasallecounty.as.me/
• May 6 – Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 E. Sangamon Ave., Pre-Register:  http://www.springfield.il.us/hhw
• May 20 – Orland Park, Cook County, Orland Park Village Center, 14700 Ravinia Ave., Pre-Register:  https://calendly.com/othd/hhwc2022?month=2023-05
• June 3 – Macomb, McDonough County, Western Illinois University, 306 West University Drive, Pre-Register:  https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/406981064161122048/false#/invitation   
• June 10 – Taylorville, Christian County, Christian County Fairgrounds, 1716 West Spresser Street, Pre-Register:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c094aa4ac28a5facf8-household#/
• June 10 – Peoria, Peoria County, Location TBA, Pre-Register:  https://www.peoriacounty.gov/201/Recycling-Services
• June 24 – Lake in the Hills, McHenry County, Location TBA, Pre-Register:  https://mchenrycountyscheduling.as.me/HHWeventJune24  
• June 24 – Carbondale, Jackson County, Banterra Center, South Lot, 1400 Arena Drive, Pre-Register:  https://jchdonline.as.me/schedule.php

In addition to the one-day collections, long-term collection facilities are available for disposal of household hazardous waste throughout the year. Those locations, and additional information can be found online.

Source: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Press Release, March 21, 2023, Springfield, IL; adapted by Michelle Wiesbrook

By Michelle Wiesbrook

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing an updated registration review schedule for the next three years to provide a roadmap and advance notice of actions for stakeholders. This update reflects the four-year extension for the registration review deadline provided for in the FY 2023 budget. The deadline for the completion of registration review final decisions is now October 1, 2026, for the pesticides registered before October 1, 2007. Reasons for the extension are listed below.  

This schedule update also reflects some of the broader policies that EPA is pursuing. For example, the registration review schedules for the rodenticides and many of the herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are in-line with the Agency’s Endangered Species Act strategies for these pesticide types over the next four years. The schedule is designed to allow EPA to adopt consistent mitigation measures across the chemicals and to improve the efficiency of its registration review work. EPA affirms its plan to continue the review of remaining pesticide cases and issue decisions to protect people, endangered species, and the environment, while providing pesticide users with predictability about the legal status of pesticides in registration review.    

In 2007, an amendment to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) formalized a requirement that EPA review each registered pesticide at least once every fifteen years to ensure that it can still be used without unreasonable adverse effect on human health or the environment. During the registration review process, EPA completes draft risk assessments, proposed interim decisions/proposed final decisions, and interim decisions/final decisions. Registration review decisions also require compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Throughout the registration review process, EPA makes its information, assessments and supporting material for each case available to the public through the case’s docket at www.regulations.gov.   

When EPA identifies risks of concern to human health or the environment, it imposes pesticide label amendments designed to reduce risk. Mitigation measures can include the cancellation of uses or pesticide registrations, reduced application rates, spray drift restrictions, use of personal protective equipment, and advisory language. If EPA determines there are urgent human or environmental risks from pesticide exposures that require prompt attention, the Agency can take appropriate regulatory action, regardless of the registration review status of the pesticide.   

By following the science and making evidence-based decisions that rely on the input of career scientists, EPA will continue to ensure that risk assessments and regulatory decisions reflect the best available public health and ecological science. 

The original registration review deadline for the 726 pesticides registered before October 1, 2007, was October 1, 2022. While EPA has completed final or interim decisions for all but 144 of the 726 total pesticide cases, the Agency has been delayed in its ability to issue many final decisions. This delay is due to the demands of focusing resources to respond swiftly to COVID-19 antimicrobial actions, delays in receiving data from registrants, a lack of resources to respond to ongoing and increasing litigation, and the scientific complexity associated with many of the pesticides yet to go through the registration review process. EPA also must comply with the Endangered Species Act obligations and complete cumulative risk assessments before its registration review work can be finalized.  

In addition to the 726 cases registered before October 1, 2007, there are 63 cases registered after October 1, 2007, with a registration review deadline prior to October 1, 2026. To date, for these 789 cases, EPA has:  

• Completed draft risk assessments for 90% of total number of cases. 
• Completed proposed interim decisions or proposed final decisions for 85% of total number of cases. 
• Issued interim decisions for 57% of total number of cases. 

• Issued final decisions for 20% of total number of cases. 
• Of the interim or final decisions, more than 15% of the total number of cases resulted in cancellations of some or all uses. 

As the Agency works through the remaining priority registration review actions, it will continue to maintain an open and transparent process by accepting public comments at most stages of the registration review process. In addition, EPA will update the schedule generally on a quarterly basis going forward. 

Visit EPA’s website for more information on the registration review process and the updated schedule of upcoming registration review actions. 

Source:  EPA email sent April 10, 2023. Modified slightly by Michelle Wiesbrook.

Download, save, and share the 2023 March/April issue of the newsletter.

The development and publication of this newsletter has been supported with funding from the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Michelle Wiesbrook, Extension Specialist, Pesticide Safety Education

The Illinois Pesticide Review is published six times a year. For more information about pesticide safety or for more issues of this newsletter, please visit us at www.pesticidesafety.illinois.edu. You can also reach us at 800-644-2123.

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