EPA on Thursday outlined how it aims to protect more than two dozen endangered species from common pesticides and said it expects the number to grow.
The environmental agency detailed methods such as reducing spray drift and runoff from agriculture fields, which will further guide requirements for pesticides as they go through EPA’s approval process.
The plan, updated from a related pilot project in 2023, is the latest in a series of EPA actions to more closely follow the Endangered Species Act, spurred by legal disputes with the Center for Biological Diversity. It applies to the 48 contiguous states and will be implemented as specific pesticides go through registration reviews.
It establishes a three-step framework for assessing the risk to a species and implementing controls based on a point system. Measures with the biggest impact would receive the most mitigation points.
