Any person may apply to the Administrator for an experimental use permit for a pesticide. An application for an experimental use permit for a covered application under section 136w–8(b) of this title shall conform with the requirements of that section. The Administrator shall review the application. After completion of the review, but not later than one hundred and twenty days after receipt of the application and all required supporting data (or in the case of an application for an experimental use permit for a covered application under section 136w–8(b) of this title, not later than the last day of the applicable timeframe for such application specified in such section), the Administrator shall either issue the permit or notify the applicant of the Administrator’s determination not to issue the permit and the reasons therefor. The applicant may correct the application or request a waiver of the conditions for such permit within thirty days of receipt by the applicant of such notification. The Administrator may issue an experimental use permit only if the Administrator determines that the applicant needs such permit in order to accumulate information necessary to register a pesticide under section 136a of this title. An application for an experimental use permit may be filed at any time.

If the Administrator determines that the use of a pesticide may reasonably be expected to result in any residue on or in food or feed, the Administrator may establish a temporary tolerance level for the residue of the pesticide before issuing the experimental use permit.

Use of a pesticide under an experimental use permit shall be under the supervision of the Administrator, and shall be subject to such terms and conditions and be for such period of time as the Administrator may prescribe in the permit.

When any experimental use permit is issued for a pesticide containing any chemical or combination of chemicals which has not been included in any previously registered pesticide, the Administrator may specify that studies be conducted to detect whether the use of the pesticide under the permit may cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment. All results of such studies shall be reported to the Administrator before such pesticide may be registered under section 136a of this title.

The Administrator may revoke any experimental use permit, at any time, if the Administrator finds that its terms or conditions are being violated, or that its terms and conditions are inadequate to avoid unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the Administrator shall, under such terms and conditions as the Administrator may by regulations prescribe, authorize any State to issue an experimental use permit for a pesticide. All provisions of section 136i of this title relating to State plans shall apply with equal force to a State plan for the issuance of experimental use permits under this section.

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the Administrator may issue an experimental use permit for a pesticide to any public or private agricultural research agency or educational institution which applies for such permit. Each permit shall not exceed more than a one-year period or such other specific time as the Administrator may prescribe. Such permit shall be issued under such terms and conditions restricting the use of the pesticide as the Administrator may require. Such pesticide may be used only by such research agency or educational institution for purposes of experimentation.

(June 25, 1947, ch. 125, § 5, as added Pub. L. 92–516, § 2, Oct. 21, 1972, 86 Stat. 983; amended Pub. L. 94–140, § 10, Nov. 28, 1975, 89 Stat. 754; Pub. L. 95–396, § 10, Sept. 30, 1978, 92 Stat. 828; Pub. L. 100–532, title VIII, § 801(d), (q)(1)(D), Oct. 25, 1988, 102 Stat. 2681, 2683; Pub. L. 102–237, title X, § 1006(b)(1), Dec. 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 1895; Pub. L. 116–8, § 4, Mar. 8, 2019, 133 Stat. 487.)