D.C. Circuit Ruling Spurs Debate Over Potential EPA Species Review Fixes

摘要

The appellate court ruling rejecting EPA's plan to forgo interagency review of new pesticides' risks to endangered species is spurring debate over whether it could trigger revisions to the agency's review policies, with an environmentalist saying it boosts their push for more efficient reviews but an industry source says the ruling's overall effect is limited. The environmentalist says the split ruling issued last month by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will require consultation on new as well as existing pesticide registrations, increasing federal officials' workload. The source says this underscores the need for ongoing talks between environmentalists and industry to find common ground in the long-standing effort to craft a sustainable process for species consultations.