Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Pesticides

Trump appointees swayed dicamba approval, watchdog reports

by Britt E. Erickson
May 27, 2021 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 99, Issue 20

 

Chemical structure of dicamba.

The US Environmental Protection Agency did not follow established procedures in 2018 when it extended approval for herbicides containing dicamba, a report by the EPA’s inspector general (IG) office concludes. The failure to follow procedures that ensure scientifically sound decisions regarding pesticide registrations violated the agency’s scientific integrity policy, the report says. Specifically, the investigation found that the EPA did not internally peer review scientific documents used to support dicamba registrations. Senior-level Trump appointees were also more involved in the dicamba decisions than in those regarding other pesticides, according to staff scientists interviewed by the IG office. The staff scientists told the office that they had concerns about political appointees’ omitting conclusions about the potential for dicamba to drift to nontarget plants but said they felt constrained from sharing those concerns. Environmental groups challenged the EPA’s 2018 dicamba decision, and a federal appeals court ruled in their favor last year, ordering the agency to vacate the registrations. Late last year, however, the EPA revived two of the registrations.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.