The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially proposed the registration of dicamba to control weeds in cotton and soybean genetically engineered (GE) to tolerate the herbicide. The proposal outlines a Herbicide Resistance Management Plan which includes monitoring and reporting any suspected resistance, grower education and remediation. Additionally, EPA is proposing to limit the registration to 5 years, which would further …
EPA Opens Comment Period Regarding Dicamba
The EPA has opened a 30 day comment period to the public covering the topic of dicamba herbicide use with Bollgard II ExtendFlex cotton and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans. This step is an important move forward for growers hoping to gain access to dicamba weed-management tools. A limited commercial introduction of Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton took place in 2015 …
Bayer Requests EPA Hearing on Pesticide
Bayer is taking its disagreement with the Environmental Protection Agency over registrations for the pesticide flubendiamide, marketed as Belt® in the United States, to the administrative level. This week, the company formally requested a hearing before EPA’s Administrative Law Judge to argue their case. Bayer has already rejected a request by EPA to voluntarily withdraw registration for flubendiamide-containing products, which …
Supreme Court Declines Chesapeake Bay Review
There will be no Supreme Court review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s total maximum daily load (TMDL) restrictions in the Chesapeake Bay region, referred to as EPA’s “blueprint” for restoring the bay. The American Farm Bureau Federation and a coalition of agricultural and builder groups asked the Supreme Court last November to review a lower court ruling that “allows the …
WOTUS Strikes Back
Farmers and ranchers will need the force to be with them as the EPA has struck back with an even more extreme version of the Waters of the U.S. Rule. Known as the Chesapeake Blueprint, the new rules will severely regulate and burden farms, possibly removing thousands of acres from production agriculture. The American Farm Bureau Federation is once again …
What Now for WOTUS?
As expected, President Obama yesterday vetoed a disapproval resolution passed by Congress that would have nullified the controversial clean water rule by EPA, better known as Waters of the U.S. or WOTUS. “Because this resolution seeks to block the progress represented by this rule and deny businesses and communities the regulatory certainty and clarity needed to invest in projects that …
EPA Assessment Raises Honeybee Concerns
Today the EPA announced a preliminary pollinator risk assessment for the neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, which, according to the assessment, is a threat to some pollinators. EPA’s assessment, prepared in collaboration with California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, indicates that imidacloprid potentially poses risk to hives when the pesticide comes in contact with certain crops that attract pollinators. “Delivering on the President’s …
Farm Bureau Video Highlights Problems with WOTUS
A new video from Farm Bureau shows just how problematic the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule is. This news release from the group says the story revolves around a farmer who is being cited by the government on the basis of the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial water regulation and how more farmers could be in trouble for doing a …
GAO Says EPA Violated Law with WOTUS
In a legal opinion released on Monday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “violated publicity or propaganda and anti-lobbying provisions contained in appropriations acts with its use of certain social media platforms in association with its Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rulemaking.” According to the GAO: Specifically, EPA violated the publicity or propaganda …
Supreme Court Urged to Review EPA Clean Water Overreach
A group including members of Congress, state government members, businesses, and ag interests, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review what they see as an overreach by the federal government. This news release from Farm Bureau says the issue is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to micromanage state land-use and development decisions …