Opinion ID: 2111141
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: General background law regarding preemption under FIFRA.

Text: As we noted in Ackerman v. American Cyanamid Co ., the federal preemption doctrine is grounded upon the supremacy clause of the federal constitution: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof ... shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. 586 N.W.2d 208, 211 (Iowa 1998) (quoting in part U.S. Const. art. VI, cl. 2). In Ackerman, we also explained the relationship between the preemption doctrine and FIFRA: Preemption may be found where congress' intent to preempt the field is either expressly stated or implicit in congressional policies. FIFRA is a comprehensive federal statute regulating pesticide use, sales, and labeling. The EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] is the administrative agency in charge of setting appropriate regulations. Before a pesticide may be sold, it must be registered and its labeling approved by the EPA. The review process requires an applicant to submit a proposed label to the EPA for approval. This label must address numerous concerns, including the ingredients, directions for use, and adverse effects of the product. In addition to the written material on the actual container, the term label also includes written, printed, or graphic material accompanying the container, to which reference is made. Id. at 211-12 (citations omitted). FIFRA specifically sets forth the authority the states shall have concerning the labeling of pesticides: (a) In general A state may regulate the sale or use of any federally registered pesticide or device in the State, but only if and to the extent the regulation does not permit any sale or use prohibited by this subchapter. (b) Uniformity Such State shall not impose or continue in effect any requirements for labeling or packaging in addition to or different from those required under this subchapter. 7 U.S.C. § 136v. The preemption doctrine does not deprive state courts of subject matter jurisdiction over claims involving federal preemption unless Congress has given exclusive jurisdiction to a federal forum. See Ackerman, 586 N.W.2d at 214 n. 3. Rather, FIFRA, through the preemption doctrine, only affects the authority and ability of states to impose additional or different labeling or packaging requirements on herbicides and pesticides in addition to those required by the EPA. See Clubine v. American Cyanamid Co., 534 N.W.2d 385, 387 (Iowa 1995). Thus, negligence claims against manufacturers of herbicides and pesticides that challenge the information contained in a product's label are preempted by FIFRA. Ackerman, 586 N.W.2d at 212. In other words, 7 U.S.C. § 136v(b) dictates the preemption of any state common law cause of action that rests on an alleged failure to warn or communicate information about a product through its labeling. Worm v. American Cyanamid Co., 5 F.3d 744, 747 (4th Cir.1993) ( Worm II ). The difficult task, of course, is deciding whether a claim is a challenge to a product's label.