The Ohio AgriBusiness Association, along with 225 other organizations, recently signed a letter voicing concern to the U.S. EPA regarding the Draft Herbicide Strategy Framework to reduce exposure of federally listed endangered and threatened species and designated critical habitats from the use of conventional agricultural herbicides.
This complex, unworkable proposal would result in significant new, costly regulatory burdens for millions of U.S. agricultural producers. Others would simply be unable to comply with the proposal, undermining their continued access to herbicides. The letter makes recommendations the agency should consider when developing or improving any ESA-related proposal it will be offering, current or future, as well as suggestions on different, more science-based approaches EPA should apply to implementation generally that would satisfy the agency’s ESA obligations while minimizing impacts on farmers and other pesticide users.