SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A teen fishes in a tributary river of the Lake Huron.
(Photo: Fertnig/Getty Images)
Biodiversity Group Wins Deal With Biden Admin to Protect Wildlife From Pesticides
"For over a decade, federal agencies have ignored how spraying pesticides into the water harms bull trout, pallid sturgeon, and dozens of other protected species," said one advocate. "That changes today."
Aug 01, 2023
The Center for Biological Diversity said Tuesday that a legal agreement it has reached with two federal agencies will help mitigate damage done to wildlife in United States waterways, where endangered species have been harmed over the past decade by the government's failure to assess the environmental impact of pesticide applications.
Under the deal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must complete assessments under the Endangered Species Act to ensure wildlife is protected from the spraying of pesticides.
According to CBD, the FWS and EPA have both failed to conduct endangered species consultations in recent years before issuing a nationwide pesticide general permit, which the EPA issues every five years.
The permit establishes requirements for the spraying of pesticides directly into waterways to control mosquito populations, aquatic weeds, and forest canopy pests.
"This agreement is important progress for improving the health of our rivers and streams and the incredible critters that rely on them."
CBD filed a lawsuit in 2021 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, arguing that the EPA had failed to assess the impact on wildlife when it issued the permit that year and in 2016 when the previous permit was approved.
The group said Tuesday that the FWS has also failed to conduct assessments "in three previous instances... even when requested [to] by the EPA."
"For over a decade, federal agencies have ignored how spraying pesticides into the water harms bull trout, pallid sturgeon, and dozens of other protected species. That changes today," said Hannah Connor, an attorney at CBD. "This victory will help endangered species across the country, along with the rivers and streams we all depend on."
The U.S. Geological Survey showed in 2021 that on average, 17 pesticides were found at least once in 74 river and stream sites that were sampled 12-24 times per year between 2013 and 2017.
According to Beyond Pesticides, pesticide exposure is linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, reproductive problems, liver and kidney damage, and other health issues in a wide range of species. Reproductive deformations have been detected in frogs and fish in rivers throughout the U.S. after exposure to pesticides.
The agreement requires the FWS to complete consultations on the impact to endangered wildlife before the next permit is finalized, no later than 2025. The EPA will also be required to take additional steps to improve pollution monitoring under the Clean Water Act to protect freshwater species from pesticide applications prior to the next pesticide general permit.
"This agreement is important progress for improving the health of our rivers and streams and the incredible critters that rely on them," said Connor in a statement. "My hope is that it will be a wake-up call for the Fish and Wildlife Service to fully embrace its critical role in preventing harm from pesticides to protected species."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The Center for Biological Diversity said Tuesday that a legal agreement it has reached with two federal agencies will help mitigate damage done to wildlife in United States waterways, where endangered species have been harmed over the past decade by the government's failure to assess the environmental impact of pesticide applications.
Under the deal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must complete assessments under the Endangered Species Act to ensure wildlife is protected from the spraying of pesticides.
According to CBD, the FWS and EPA have both failed to conduct endangered species consultations in recent years before issuing a nationwide pesticide general permit, which the EPA issues every five years.
The permit establishes requirements for the spraying of pesticides directly into waterways to control mosquito populations, aquatic weeds, and forest canopy pests.
"This agreement is important progress for improving the health of our rivers and streams and the incredible critters that rely on them."
CBD filed a lawsuit in 2021 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, arguing that the EPA had failed to assess the impact on wildlife when it issued the permit that year and in 2016 when the previous permit was approved.
The group said Tuesday that the FWS has also failed to conduct assessments "in three previous instances... even when requested [to] by the EPA."
"For over a decade, federal agencies have ignored how spraying pesticides into the water harms bull trout, pallid sturgeon, and dozens of other protected species. That changes today," said Hannah Connor, an attorney at CBD. "This victory will help endangered species across the country, along with the rivers and streams we all depend on."
The U.S. Geological Survey showed in 2021 that on average, 17 pesticides were found at least once in 74 river and stream sites that were sampled 12-24 times per year between 2013 and 2017.
According to Beyond Pesticides, pesticide exposure is linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, reproductive problems, liver and kidney damage, and other health issues in a wide range of species. Reproductive deformations have been detected in frogs and fish in rivers throughout the U.S. after exposure to pesticides.
The agreement requires the FWS to complete consultations on the impact to endangered wildlife before the next permit is finalized, no later than 2025. The EPA will also be required to take additional steps to improve pollution monitoring under the Clean Water Act to protect freshwater species from pesticide applications prior to the next pesticide general permit.
"This agreement is important progress for improving the health of our rivers and streams and the incredible critters that rely on them," said Connor in a statement. "My hope is that it will be a wake-up call for the Fish and Wildlife Service to fully embrace its critical role in preventing harm from pesticides to protected species."
From Your Site Articles
- Green Groups Sue Biden EPA Over Industrial Water Pollution Failures ›
- 'Landmark Victory': New York Passes Nation's First Legislation Restricting Bee-Killing Pesticides ›
- Green Groups Call on Biden Admin to End Support for 'Scientifically Bankrupt' Wildlife Killing ›
Related Articles Around the Web
The Center for Biological Diversity said Tuesday that a legal agreement it has reached with two federal agencies will help mitigate damage done to wildlife in United States waterways, where endangered species have been harmed over the past decade by the government's failure to assess the environmental impact of pesticide applications.
Under the deal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) must complete assessments under the Endangered Species Act to ensure wildlife is protected from the spraying of pesticides.
According to CBD, the FWS and EPA have both failed to conduct endangered species consultations in recent years before issuing a nationwide pesticide general permit, which the EPA issues every five years.
The permit establishes requirements for the spraying of pesticides directly into waterways to control mosquito populations, aquatic weeds, and forest canopy pests.
"This agreement is important progress for improving the health of our rivers and streams and the incredible critters that rely on them."
CBD filed a lawsuit in 2021 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, arguing that the EPA had failed to assess the impact on wildlife when it issued the permit that year and in 2016 when the previous permit was approved.
The group said Tuesday that the FWS has also failed to conduct assessments "in three previous instances... even when requested [to] by the EPA."
"For over a decade, federal agencies have ignored how spraying pesticides into the water harms bull trout, pallid sturgeon, and dozens of other protected species. That changes today," said Hannah Connor, an attorney at CBD. "This victory will help endangered species across the country, along with the rivers and streams we all depend on."
The U.S. Geological Survey showed in 2021 that on average, 17 pesticides were found at least once in 74 river and stream sites that were sampled 12-24 times per year between 2013 and 2017.
According to Beyond Pesticides, pesticide exposure is linked to cancer, hormonal disruption, reproductive problems, liver and kidney damage, and other health issues in a wide range of species. Reproductive deformations have been detected in frogs and fish in rivers throughout the U.S. after exposure to pesticides.
The agreement requires the FWS to complete consultations on the impact to endangered wildlife before the next permit is finalized, no later than 2025. The EPA will also be required to take additional steps to improve pollution monitoring under the Clean Water Act to protect freshwater species from pesticide applications prior to the next pesticide general permit.
"This agreement is important progress for improving the health of our rivers and streams and the incredible critters that rely on them," said Connor in a statement. "My hope is that it will be a wake-up call for the Fish and Wildlife Service to fully embrace its critical role in preventing harm from pesticides to protected species."
From Your Site Articles
- Green Groups Sue Biden EPA Over Industrial Water Pollution Failures ›
- 'Landmark Victory': New York Passes Nation's First Legislation Restricting Bee-Killing Pesticides ›
- Green Groups Call on Biden Admin to End Support for 'Scientifically Bankrupt' Wildlife Killing ›
Related Articles Around the Web
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.