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Staying Current By Tom Delaney Image above ©istockphoto.com/Veni People and Water: Two Major Industry Issues I am not sure what you would pick as the two biggest industry issues, but I would say they would have to be employment and water. How can you run a lawn/landscape business without people and water? I'd also say that in the last few years, the chal- lenges we face with both these issues have only gotten worse. When it takes interviewing 40 or 50 or more applicants to find an entry-level laborer that meets your expectations, and then still having to worry about whether they will fit in and stay, there is a major problem. Compounding this issue is a very sluggish econ- omy and an immigration backlash. Do you think your customers are using water efficiently in the landscape? Are you following best water management practices? These all affect the water issue, which is further compounded by unusual droughts, floods and even earthquakes. Recently, PLANET entered the litigation arena to help with the employment issue. PLANET filed suit against the Department of Labor (DOL) because of the department's new H-2B wage change regulations. PLANET is also winding down a several-year fight with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a part of its WaterSense program that calls for a 40-percent limitation on turfgrass areas. How knowledgeable are you on these issues? I hope you can see how they will affect your bottom line. And, if you haven't al- ready, you plan to lend your voice and support to help resolve them. PLANET is using its resources to help meet these issues head- on. There's a new Irrigation & Water Management Specialty Group to help address some of the water challenges facing the industry, and to keep on top of technological advances and future needs. There has also been a positive effect on these issues from PLANET's activity and collective presence on the Hill in Wash- ington, D.C, especially during PLANET's annual Legislative Day on the Hill. These results would not be possible without your in- dividual involvement and your support of the PLANET Political Action Committee (PAC). The bottom line is that to prevent the water and labor issues from getting worse, and, for that matter, any other issues that may negatively impact our industry, try to stay informed and be ready to help when called on. Enacting any legislative initiatives to rein-in overactive gov- ernment agencies, such as the DOL and the EPA, is exceedingly difficult, especially with the current political makeup of both the House and Senate. Nevertheless, there are small windows of op- portunity to achieve these kinds of legislative victories. One such opportunity is the appropriations process that funds the govern- ment for the next fiscal year. During the Clinton administration, for example, Congress was successful in enacting funding limita- tions on rulemakings, which, for a time, limited the DOL's ability to move forward on ergonomics regulations. More recently, during a PLANET PAC-funded breakfast with a key member of the House and his staff, we had the opportunity to explain what the impact of the DOL's proposed regulations would be on the H-2B program. This was key to getting lan- guage we wanted into an appropriation bill. The bottom line is that to prevent the water and labor issues from getting worse, and, for that matter, any other issues that may negatively impact our industry, try to stay informed and be ready to help when called on. LI Tom Delaney is director of government affairs at the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). For more information, visit www.landcarenetwork.org. 26 Landscape and Irrigation November/December 2011 www.landscapeirrigation.com