Crapo Praises Streamlined Pesticide Regulations

Washington, DC â?? Both wildlife and farmers will benefit from new regulations announced today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NOAA Fisheries, says Idaho Senator Mike Crapo. Crapo lauded the new review procedures which institute a more efficient approach to ensure protection of threatened and endangered species as part of the approval process for pest control products. â??In the interest of conservation, we must be certain that the products farmers use do not harm endangered species,â?? Crapo said. â??I am confident that this rule helps us do that. It is also important to reduce paperwork as much as possible. This rule ensures that we do our paperwork once and we do it right.â?? Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must consult with the FWS and NOAA to ensure that registration of insecticide, fungicide and rodenticide products is not likely to put the continued existence of threatened or endangered species at risk, or result in damage or destruction to critical habitat. Due to the complexity of examining the effects of pest-control products, in the past decade virtually no consultations have been completed. The new regulations allow the EPA to determine that the use of a pest-control product isnâ??t likely to adversely affect a listed species or its habitat without either approval of or consultation with FWS and NOAA. FWS and NOAA will perform periodic reviews of EPA methods to ensure that the EPAâ??s determinations are consistent with ESA requirements. # # #