Guest guest Posted September 2, 2004 Report Share Posted September 2, 2004 > Wed, 01 Sep 2004 13:09:49 GMT > " BushGreenwatch " <info > Bush EPA Rolls Back Endangered Species Act, > Pesticide Protection > > *************************************** > BUSHGREENWATCH > Tracking the Bush Administration's Environmental > Misdeeds > http://www.bushgreenwatch.org > *************************************** > > September 1, 2004 > > BUSH EPA ROLLS BACK ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, > PESTICIDE PROTECTION > > > The Bush administration's Environmental Protection > Agency (EPA) > has found a subtle way to sidestep the Endangered > Species Act. > > New rules, announced in late July, allow EPA to > approve new > pesticides without consulting the Fish and Wildlife > Service or > the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine > possible harm > to wildlife. [1] > > The new rules greatly favor industries that produce > pesticides. > As reported by BushGreenwatch, a special chemical > industry task > force has used insider access to the EPA to achieve > this rule > change. > > Federal officials claim the new regulations will > " streamline " > the pesticide approval process. Patti Goldman, > managing attorney > with the Seattle office of environmental group > Earthjustice, > sees it differently. " EPA has a problem, and its > problem is that > it has not complied with the Endangered Species Act > for > pesticides for over a decade. So when it says > 'streamlining,' > it's trying to streamline away the requirements, > rather than > find a streamlined way to come into compliance with > them. " > > Goldman was lead attorney in Earthjustice's > successful suit > against EPA, demanding that the agency complete > required > consultations with the National Marine Fisheries > Service (NFMS) > on how pesticide uses would affect threatened and > endangered > Pacific coast salmon. > > " EPA registers pesticides before they can be used > throughout the > United States, and it has never even taken the first > steps to > make sure the pesticide uses it authorizes won't > harm salmon " > listed under the ESA, Goldman told BushGreenwatch. > " Our case > focused on 54 pesticide cases where EPA had done > those reviews > and found there was a problem for fish or their > habitat -- and > then done nothing. " > > Many other endangered and threatened species are > further > imperiled by EPA's failure to regulate pesticides. A > new report > from the Center for Biological Diversity notes > dozens of cases > -- from California's red-legged frog, to the Barton > Springs > salamander of Texas, to wild Atlantic salmon in > Maine -- in > which exposure to pesticides is a key factor in the > species' > decline. [2] > > Although Earthjustice won its case in January, the > new > regulations may ultimately undercut its victory, > because the > standards for judging pesticide impacts are unclear. > " EPA will > be able to do it however they choose. The agencies > have > delegated that authority to EPA, " Goldman says, > " even though in > the past they found EPA's assessments woefully > inadequate. " > > The new system " is replacing the checks and balances > that are in > the consultation process, " she says. " There, you > have an > independent, outside agency that's the expert on the > species, > weighing in and looking at the impacts. Now, you > won't have that > any more. " > > For Pacific salmon species, the impact from > pesticide exposure > could be subtle but severe. " There's a lot of > evidence that > salmon lose their ability to smell. They swim > backwards, can't > evade predators, the males turn into females -- all > sorts of > things happen, short of killing them, at really low > doses, " says > Goldman. " It's just that you won't see all the dead > bodies lying > in a pile. " > > ### > > SOURCES: > [1] " EPA Will Not Have To Consult Wildlife Agencies > On > Pesticides, " The Washington Post, Jul. 30, 2004. > [2] " Silent Spring Revisited: Pesticide Use and > Endangered > Species, " Center for Biological Diversity, Jul. > 2004, > http://ga3.org/ct/17zkGk916aD7/. > > *************************************** > :: TELL A FRIEND ABOUT BUSHGREENWATCH > http://ga3.org/ct/C1zkGk916aDg/ > > :: READ BACK ISSUES > http://ga3.org/ct/CpzkGk916aDO/ > *************************************** > > BushGreenwatch > 1320 18th Street NW 5th Floor > Washington, DC 20036 > (202) 463-6670 > Web site comments: info > > Copyright © 2003 Environmental Media Services > ----------------- > > If you received this message from a friend, you can > sign up for > BushGreenwatch at: > > http://ga3.org/bushgreenwatch/join.html?r=01zkGk91-Q9yE > > ----------------- > > *************************************** > Powered by GetActive Software, Inc. > Member Relationship Management Solutions > That Recruit, Engage, and Retain > http://www.getactive.com > *************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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