Friday, September 11, 2015

Pollinator Stewardship Council v. U.S. EPA

<> Pollinator Stewardship Council v. U.S. EPA - 9/10/15. In the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Case No. 13-72346. Petitioners are commercial bee keepers and bee keeping organizations, and they challenge the EPA's approval of insecticides containing sulfoxaflor, which initial studies showed were highly toxic to bees.
     The Panel ruled: "In this case, given the precariousness of bee populations, leaving the EPA's registration of sulfoxaflor in place risks more potential environmental harm than vacating it. Moreover, on remand, a different result may be reached. Once the EPA obtains adequate Tier 2 studies, it may conclude that a lower maximum application rate of sulfoxaflor is warranted, or that sulfoxaflor cannot be registered at all because of its effects on brood development and long-term colony strength. We therefore vacate the EPA's unconditional registration of sulfoxaflor and remand for the EPA to obtain further studies and data regarding the effects of sulfoxaflor on bees, as required by EPA regulations. Vacated and Remanded."

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