By Zoe Wallace and Tom Hance
After 2.5 years of deliberation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued on Aug. 20 its final Herbicide Strategy, which intends to create a consistent, reasonable, transparent and understandable approach to assessing the potential impacts of herbicides on 900 listed species and identifying mitigations. It describes whether, how much and where mitigations may be needed to protect federally listed species from agricultural uses of herbicides. The EPA would apply the strategy when issuing new active ingredient registrations or review decisions under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The Herbicide Strategy includes a three-step decision framework for the EPA to use when considering FIFRA actions, including how to apply mitigations. Read More »