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EPA administrator talks crop protection oversight

The administrator of the U.S. EPA says the agency is taking a more efficient approach when it comes to the review and oversight of crop protection tools.

Lee Zeldin says the agency has inherited a massive backlog of pesticide registrations and other agency staff is needed to help move through it.

“There are personnel inside the Office of Research and Development who are very talented, well educated, experienced and skillful. If we’re able to have them work on this backlog, we can tackle the backlogs that exist.”

He said shortening the Office of Management and Budget’s review time could make the process more efficient by 4 months and Endangered Species Act compliance will be an interagency effort.

Zeldin told farmers at a Missouri roundtable earlier this week the re-registration status of products, including the new dicamba labels, are on the agency’s radar.

Zeldin said a good line of communication is needed between ag and the Make America Healthy Again Commission, a commission formed via executive order to assess the threat of overuse of certain chemicals and its impact on food safety.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Garrett Hawkins told Zeldin he’s optimistic the EPA will continue a “risk-based analysis” for bringing crop protection tools to market.

“Your role in this in helping us get products to market and in our toolbox are critical.”

The farmer roundtable with Zeldin also focused on WOTUS and other ag issues.