EPA sued over prairie dog poison

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20090930/NEWS01/709309853

Published Wednesday September 30, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Two conservation groups have sued the Environmental Protection Agency for its decision to register pesticides that curtail prairie dogs, the main source of food for the endangered black-footed ferret.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., by Defenders of Wildlife and Audubon of Kansas, says the chemicals threaten other species, and that in issuing registrations for their use, the EPA is violating the federal Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and other federal laws.

The lawsuit claims the EPA failed to heed warnings from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that registrations of the chemicals chlorophacinone and diphacinone "be disapproved or rescinded because of known and potential impacts to wildlife."

It seeks an injunction against the registration in 10 states of Rozol, which contains chlorophacinone, and the local use of Kaput-D, which contains diphacinone. The chemicals cause internal bleeding.

EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said the agency planned to release a federal register notice next week related to the lawsuit.

"We are treating this request as a petition to suspend this use of Rozol," he said in an e-mail Tuesday. "The docket will include the risk assessments as well as letters from other parties expressing similar concerns."

FULL story and a photo at link.

[malakai2]

1. Good

Because the ranchers that like this stuff call it a one-time treatment, and the label says very clearly that it's a secondary toxicant and that all carcasses need to be collected, treatment needs to be continued until the target colony is wiped out, etc. If they follow the label restrictions, it's more expensive than zinc phosphide. If the state agriculture departments turn a blind eye-and these are heavy agricultural states with wildlife compatibility issues-then it's less expensive, for everybody except the wildlife.