U.S. Eases Review of Pesticides for Endangered Species

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-epa30jul30.story
THE NATION
U.S. Eases Review of Pesticides for Endangered Species
The EPA will no longer have to consult with agencies on the potential harm of products. Environmentalists say it will weaken the law.
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar
Times Staff Writer

July 30, 2004

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration made it easier Thursday for the government to approve pesticides used by farmers and homeowners, saying it no longer would require the Environmental Protection Agency to first consult other federal agencies to determine whether a product could harm endangered species.

The change, supported by growers and pesticide manufacturers, affects federal regulations for carrying out the Endangered Species Act, a law that protects about 1,200 threatened animals and plants.

Environmentalists said the streamlined process would strip away protections for those species.

The law has been successfully used by environmental groups in a recent lawsuit seeking to mitigate the effects of pesticides on salmon in the Pacific Northwest. A federal judge found that the EPA had failed to abide by a requirement that it consult with federal wildlife agencies over the potential harm from pesticides.

Under the new process, expected to take effect in a few months, the EPA will conduct its own scientific evaluation. The agency will be required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies only if its internal evaluation deems that a pesticide is likely to have an adverse effect on endangered species.

"The new rule benefits the pesticide industry at the expense of endangered species," said Aaron Colangelo, a lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a Washington-based environmental advocacy group. "By cutting the government's wildlife experts out of the loop, the rule removes an important safety net to protect endangered species." <snip>

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