EPA expands use of pesticide it considers 'highly toxic' to bees
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Friday it would allow for the expanded use of a pesticide it considers toxic to bees, a move that comes just days after the Trump administration said it was suspending data collection on bee populations.
The pesticide known as sulfoxaflor will be permitted for use on certain crops for the first time, and in other areas that were prohibited under the Obama administration.
The agency considers sulfoxaflor "very highly toxic" to bees.
EPA explains its move: In a call with reporters to announce the decision, a top EPA official emphasized the agency's research on the pesticide's effects on bees and said the rule was designed with pollinators in mind.
"To reduce exposure to bees, the product label will have crop-specific restrictions and important pollinator protection language," including limits on how close to bloom sulfoxaflor can be sprayed, the official said.
But it may be difficult to monitor whether the regulations spare bees as intended. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week it was suspending one of the few remaining government data sets that monitor bee populations and loss.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/overnights/452890-overnight-energy-epa-expands-use-of-pesticide-it
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Don't Nunes and McCarthy represent agricultural districts in CA that depend on pollination?
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