EPA proposed draft herbicide strategy, farmers saying it could harm their operations By Patricia Perry
The EPA tries to poach more regulatory power with little or no scientific credibility.
EPA proposed draft herbicide strategy, farmers saying it could harm their operations
Published: Oct. 13, 2023 at 4:40 PM CDT|Updated: 17 hours ago
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LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The United States Environmental Protection Agency wants to hear from the public about the best way to protect endangered species from herbicides.
A local agriculture organization wants farmers to step up and tell the EPA how extra requirements could harm them.
The Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Pesticide Program, Jake Li, said this draft strategywas created because the EPA has not been complying with the Endangered Species Act for decades.
“We’ve been sued, right, by environmental groups for a number of years, and the courts have completely lost their patience with us in terms of our inability to fully comply,” Li said.
Li adds that means the agency needs to act fast.
“The historic way we’ve been trying to identify protections for endangered species just takes too long, it takes four to 12 years per chemical, and we have hundreds and hundreds of chemicals to do in the next few years,” Li said.
The CEO of Plains Cotton Growers, Kody Bessent, said the agency is focusing on its own legal side more than what the growers need.
“A lot of it is not being driven by good agronomic practices,” Bessent said. “They’re seeking after a way to curb being litigated and sued year in and year out versus actually truly looking at what is the base practice for a specific area or a product label.”
Li said if the EPA doesn’t fix the problem sooner rather than later, it could cause those chemicals to not be available at all.
“There is a risk that these pesticides are pulled off the shelf abruptly by a court order,” Li said.
The EPA has drafted a strategy that would give growers a menu to pick what works for their operation and protects the species. One example Li gave KCBD is planting grass to catch run-off at the bottom of a slope. Bessent said producers are already strapped for money, and this would just take more out of their pockets.
“Because they’re requiring them to plant another crop or seed another type of crop that they might not necessarily do on a regular basis,” Bessent said.
Bessent adds skipping herbicide use altogether is not an option because their crop could suffer.
“Weed reduction, minimizing the development of weeds through a growing season is extremely important, so we can go in and basically have access to that pure crop so we’re not taking in other foreign-based material or matter as we go through harvest or the growing season,” Bessent said.
Li is asking farmers to submit their opinions to the EPA by Oct. 22. Bessent said if you stand with Plains Cotton Growers against the draft strategy, to sign a petition by Oct. 20.
You can submit a comment to the EPA here or sign the petition with Plains Cotton Growers here.
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