 Energy & Environment |
Energy & Environment |
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Advocates push back on EPA pesticide move |
The Biden administration is proposing to raise a key threshold determining how much of a pesticide that's commonly used in agriculture is considered concerning in the environment — spurring ire from environmental advocates. |
© AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais |
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently considers an average of just 3.4 micrograms per liter of the pesticide, atrazine, to be an acceptable level.
But a new proposal released this week raises that level to 9.7 micrograms — saying nearly three times as much of the substance can be present in the environment.
Under the draft plan, actions will need to be taken to mitigate potential impacts when levels in the environment exceed the 9.7 microgram level.
Lori Ann Burd, environmental health program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, slammed the proposal.
"Atrazine is so toxic, even in microscopic amounts, and so extremely persistent, that effective mitigation is just impossible," Burd said in a statement.
"But the EPA keeps bending over backward to accommodate growers who insist on drenching our nation's food, fiber and fuel with atrazine at the expense of public health and the environment," she said.
Atrazine is used on many U.S. crops, including corn and sugarcane. It has been banned in the European Union and several other countries and has been found to disrupt the endocrine system.
When the EPA previously signaled it would update the safety threshold for atrazine in July, the agency said it did so after examining 11 studies with its independent Scientific Advisory Panel and later reevaluating two additional studies.
The Biden administration's move is just a proposal. It's unclear what will happen to atrazine under the incoming Trump administration. Read more at TheHill.com. |
Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, we're Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. |
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How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: |
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Young people may be at much greater risk of dying from climate change-induced extreme heat than the elderly, a new study has found |
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Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself on Wednesday from an environment case that's slated to come before the court next week. |
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Vice President-elect JD Vance traveled to North Carolina on Friday to survey hurricane relief efforts. |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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New campaign finance disclosures filed late Thursday and early Friday shed fresh light on how big money, big donors and big expectations shaped the final stretch of the 2024 presidential race. |
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
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OPEC is gearing up for a game of chicken with Donald Trump (Semafor) Scientists find huge trove of rare metals needed for clean energy hidden inside toxic coal waste (CNN)
Their Fertilizer Poisons Farmland. Now, They Want Protection From Lawsuits. (The New York Times)
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear arguments in a case that could limit the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act.
The House Natural Resources Committee's Oversight subpanel will hold a hearing on anti-Israel protests on National Park Service land.
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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A new report released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that if the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) extended subsidies are allowed to expire at the end of 2025, millions of people will become uninsured and premiums will rise. Read more |
| Pete Hegseth’s lawyer threatened an extortion lawsuit against his client’s sexual assault accuser if Hegseth is not confirmed as secretary of Defense. Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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