Environmental Groups Take Trump EPA To Court To Force Ban Of Brain-Draining Pesticide

WASHINGTON — Three environmental organizations have asked a federal appeals court to force the Environmental Protection Agency to ban a widely used pesticide linked to brain damage in children. A motion filed Wednesday by Earthjustice on behalf of two other organizations challenges EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision last week to reject the scientific findings of his own agency and allow chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate insecticide used on fruits, vegetables and nuts, to remain on the market for agricultural use. The groups asked the court to require EPA to ban the pesticide within 30 days. Patti Goldman, an Earthjustice attorney, told The Huffington Post that the Trump administration is failing to protect the public from a chemical its own scientists found to be dangerous. “If the head of the EPA isn’t respecting, following the law or the science, that will be of great concern across the board,” Goldman said.  Earthjustice is representing the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Pesticide Action Network North America, which in 2007 petitioned the EPA to ban the chemical. “The Trump administration is not above the law — and we will not let them put our kids at risk,” Erik Olson, a senior attorney at NRDC, said in a statement. “The science is clear that this chemical is dangerous, yet Administrator Pruitt is ignoring findings from EPA’s own experts and brushing off the cou...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news