State regulators are worried that the Environmental Protection Agency is getting ready to override them on a host of pesticide regulations by negating stricter rules intended to curb crop damage or prevent environmental hazards from pesticides.
The EPA quietly announced….that it was considering a new way to handle requests by states that want to impose stricter rules or extra training than the federal government mandates on pesticides. The EPA said it won’t make any changes this growing season and will have a public comment period before changes are made…
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The biggest change could affect how state regulators have stepped in to restrict dicamba, a herbicide developed by Monsanto and BASF to combat pigweed and other undesired plants that have become resistant to Monsanto’s flagship weedkiller Roundup.
Dicamba is commonly applied to soybeans in the Midwest and South. For instance, Illinois announced….five restrictions beyond the federal guidelines for the 2019 growing season, such as a June 30 cutoff date for spraying dicamba, and prohibition of spraying dicamba when the wind is blowing toward nearby residential areas. The EPA says it receives about 300 requests a year….to adjust federal regulations….
Read full, original article: EPA may thwart efforts by states to set stricter pesticide rules (Behind Paywall)
