Senator Demands More Info About EPA Chief’s Refusal To Ban Brain-Damaging Pesticide

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) has requested all documents related to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision to go against the scientific recommendation of his own agency and refuse to ban a widely used pesticide that’s been linked to learning disabilities in children. In a Friday letter to Pruitt, Carper, a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said he is “troubled” by the agency chief’s order to allow chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide that’s been used since the 1960s, to remain on the market for agricultural use. Pruitt “did not present any new scientific or legal analysis” to justify the decision, Carper noted. “The previous finding to ban chlorpyrifos was based on extensive data, models and research developed by industry, government and academic scientists,” Carper wrote. “Absent such justification, this decision to lift the proposed ban could undermine the trust the public has in the agency to keep its food, water and air safe.” In November 2015, under the Obama administration, the EPA proposed to permanently ban the use of the chemical on food crops, citing potential risks to human health. The move stemmed from a 2007 petition filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network North America. In announcing his reversal, Pruitt said th...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news