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Brad Rose looks at rows of soybean plants that show signs of having been affected by dicamba, which he doesn’t use on his crops, in Mississippi County, Arkansas on August 9, 2017.
(Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images)
'MAHA-Washing': Trump EPA Set to Reapprove Dicamba Despite Pesticide's Harms
“The fact that we’re here again after two failed attempts to fix this broken pesticide shows that Lee Zeldin and his army of industry lobbyists are utterly incapable of protecting the public,” said one expert.
Jan 30, 2026
The US Environmental Protection Agency plans to reapprove dicamba despite the pesticide's proven health and environmental risks, the Washington Post reported Friday—a move that would seemingly fly in the face of the Trump administration's pledge to "Make American Healthy Again."
According to a draft statement obtained by the Post, the EPA called the reapproval “the most protective dicamba registration in agency history," while noting “several measures” to head off “ecological risks.”
Two EPA officials told the Post's Amudalat Ajasa on condition of anonymity that the agency would move to reapprove dicamba next week.
It would be the third time the EPA approved the pesticide. On both prior occasions, federal courts blocked the approvals, citing underestimation of the risk of chemical drift that could harm neighboring farms.
“The fact that we’re here again after two failed attempts to fix this broken pesticide shows that Lee Zeldin and his army of industry lobbyists are utterly incapable of protecting the public,” Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) senior scientist Nathan Donley told the Post, referring to the EPA administrator.
One judge ruled in 2024 that since widespread dicamba drift damaged millions of acres of nontolerant crops, some farmers felt "coerced" to purchase expensive, dicamba-resistant seeds to safeguard their own fields, creating a "near-monopoly" for companies selling the products.
Some scientific studies have linked dicamba to increased risk of cancer and hypothyroidism. The European Union classifies dicamba as a category II suspected endocrine disruptor.
In 2021, the Biden administration published an EPA report revealing that during Trump's first term, senior officials intentionally excluded scientific evidence of dicamba-related hazards, including the risk of widespread drift damage, before reapproving the dangerous chemical.
A separate EPA report described the widespread harm to farmers and the environment caused by dicamba during the 2020 growing season.
Writing for the New Lede this week, Donley warned that "much like the greenwashing you see at the grocery store, with terms like 'eco-friendly' or 'green' advertising chemical-laden products on store shelves, Zeldin’s MAHA-washing paints the same rosy picture to distract from decisions that harm public health."
"We all stand to lose if this pesticide gets the green light," he added.
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The US Environmental Protection Agency plans to reapprove dicamba despite the pesticide's proven health and environmental risks, the Washington Post reported Friday—a move that would seemingly fly in the face of the Trump administration's pledge to "Make American Healthy Again."
According to a draft statement obtained by the Post, the EPA called the reapproval “the most protective dicamba registration in agency history," while noting “several measures” to head off “ecological risks.”
Two EPA officials told the Post's Amudalat Ajasa on condition of anonymity that the agency would move to reapprove dicamba next week.
It would be the third time the EPA approved the pesticide. On both prior occasions, federal courts blocked the approvals, citing underestimation of the risk of chemical drift that could harm neighboring farms.
“The fact that we’re here again after two failed attempts to fix this broken pesticide shows that Lee Zeldin and his army of industry lobbyists are utterly incapable of protecting the public,” Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) senior scientist Nathan Donley told the Post, referring to the EPA administrator.
One judge ruled in 2024 that since widespread dicamba drift damaged millions of acres of nontolerant crops, some farmers felt "coerced" to purchase expensive, dicamba-resistant seeds to safeguard their own fields, creating a "near-monopoly" for companies selling the products.
Some scientific studies have linked dicamba to increased risk of cancer and hypothyroidism. The European Union classifies dicamba as a category II suspected endocrine disruptor.
In 2021, the Biden administration published an EPA report revealing that during Trump's first term, senior officials intentionally excluded scientific evidence of dicamba-related hazards, including the risk of widespread drift damage, before reapproving the dangerous chemical.
A separate EPA report described the widespread harm to farmers and the environment caused by dicamba during the 2020 growing season.
Writing for the New Lede this week, Donley warned that "much like the greenwashing you see at the grocery store, with terms like 'eco-friendly' or 'green' advertising chemical-laden products on store shelves, Zeldin’s MAHA-washing paints the same rosy picture to distract from decisions that harm public health."
"We all stand to lose if this pesticide gets the green light," he added.
From Your Site Articles
- 'Absolute Joke': Big Ag Lobby Wins Again as Trump Admin 'Doubles Down' on Atrazine ›
- EPA Sued for 'Once Again Putting Corporate Interests Over Public Health or the Environment' by Reapproving Herbicide Atrazine ›
- Progressives Blast MAHA Report That 'Echoes the Pesticide Industry's Talking Points' ›
- Skeptics Warn of Greenwashing as Trump Admin Launches Regenerative Agriculture Pilot ›
- Trump EPA 'Hitting New Heights of Absurdity' With Plan to Reapprove Pesticide Dicamba ›
The US Environmental Protection Agency plans to reapprove dicamba despite the pesticide's proven health and environmental risks, the Washington Post reported Friday—a move that would seemingly fly in the face of the Trump administration's pledge to "Make American Healthy Again."
According to a draft statement obtained by the Post, the EPA called the reapproval “the most protective dicamba registration in agency history," while noting “several measures” to head off “ecological risks.”
Two EPA officials told the Post's Amudalat Ajasa on condition of anonymity that the agency would move to reapprove dicamba next week.
It would be the third time the EPA approved the pesticide. On both prior occasions, federal courts blocked the approvals, citing underestimation of the risk of chemical drift that could harm neighboring farms.
“The fact that we’re here again after two failed attempts to fix this broken pesticide shows that Lee Zeldin and his army of industry lobbyists are utterly incapable of protecting the public,” Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) senior scientist Nathan Donley told the Post, referring to the EPA administrator.
One judge ruled in 2024 that since widespread dicamba drift damaged millions of acres of nontolerant crops, some farmers felt "coerced" to purchase expensive, dicamba-resistant seeds to safeguard their own fields, creating a "near-monopoly" for companies selling the products.
Some scientific studies have linked dicamba to increased risk of cancer and hypothyroidism. The European Union classifies dicamba as a category II suspected endocrine disruptor.
In 2021, the Biden administration published an EPA report revealing that during Trump's first term, senior officials intentionally excluded scientific evidence of dicamba-related hazards, including the risk of widespread drift damage, before reapproving the dangerous chemical.
A separate EPA report described the widespread harm to farmers and the environment caused by dicamba during the 2020 growing season.
Writing for the New Lede this week, Donley warned that "much like the greenwashing you see at the grocery store, with terms like 'eco-friendly' or 'green' advertising chemical-laden products on store shelves, Zeldin’s MAHA-washing paints the same rosy picture to distract from decisions that harm public health."
"We all stand to lose if this pesticide gets the green light," he added.
From Your Site Articles
- 'Absolute Joke': Big Ag Lobby Wins Again as Trump Admin 'Doubles Down' on Atrazine ›
- EPA Sued for 'Once Again Putting Corporate Interests Over Public Health or the Environment' by Reapproving Herbicide Atrazine ›
- Progressives Blast MAHA Report That 'Echoes the Pesticide Industry's Talking Points' ›
- Skeptics Warn of Greenwashing as Trump Admin Launches Regenerative Agriculture Pilot ›
- Trump EPA 'Hitting New Heights of Absurdity' With Plan to Reapprove Pesticide Dicamba ›
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