Archive for April, 2012

The National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council is reviewing ecological risk   assessments for pesticides under FIFRA and the Endangered Species Act.  This review is being conducted at the request of EPA, NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Agriculture.   EPA, NMFS and FWS do not always agree on data and analyses during their Section 7 consultations.  These consultations are sometimes required by the ESA when EPA is performing pesticide registrations under FIFRA. The three agencies have responded to questions asked them by the NAS/NRC review panel. These questions relate to the agencies’ disagreements over data and analyses.   

In an order dated March 22, 2012, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California granted CropLife America full intervention as of right in all aspects of a case brought by the Center for Biological Diversity.  This case presents Endangered Species Act-based challenges to pesticide registrations: Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife, No. C 11-05108 JSW (N.D.Cal.). The NGOs in this case challenge the alleged failure of defendants Environmental Protection Agency and United States Fish and Wildlife Service to timely complete the consultation process under Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA with regard to impacts on the California red-legged frog from sixty-four pesticides that are subject to the terms of the Court’s prior Injunction and Order. The court granted intervention because it held that the Federal Government defendants only represented the public interest, and not the private commercial interests represented by the pesticide trade association CropLife.

The Association of American Pesticide Control Officials State FIFRA Issues Research and Evaluation Group, Pesticides Operations and Management Working Committee will hold a 2-day meeting, beginning on May 30, 2012 and ending May 31, 2012. The meeting will be held at EPA Region Five Metcalf Office Building, 12th Floor, 77 West Jackson Blvd., in Chicago, Illinois. The agenda will include EPA expectations of State Lead Agencies and Regions in pesticide cooperative agreement negotiations, and EPA’s Revised Rodenticide Risk Mitigation Decision for Professional Use Rodenticides. The meeting is open to the public, and there will be an opportunity for public comment.