EPA Sued for Negligence

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Find out more from the  Center for Biological Diversity: Pesticides Reduction Environmental Health

GROUPS SUE EPA FOR
APPROVING INSECTICIDE
DESPITE THREAT TO
ENDANGERED SPECIES

The Oregonian, March 17, 2015

Groups sue EPA for approving insecticide despite threat 

to endangered species 
By Kelly House

Conservationists who argue a newly approved insecticide is a

 known killer of bees and other pollinators plan to sue the 

federal government for letting it go to market.

The groups, including West Linn-based Defenders of Wildlife, 

the Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Food 

Safety, notified the Environmental Protection Agency on 

Monday of their intent to sue over flupyradifurone, a 

compound manufactured by Bayer CropScience.

The plaintiffs allege EPA regulators disobeyed federal rules 

requiring them to consult with federal wildlife agencies before

 approving a substance known to kill endangered animals.

Flupyradifurone is part of a growing class of insecticides

 engineered to seep into a plant's system, rather than 

simply coating the outside. These so-called systemic 

insecticides include neonicotinoids, chemicals that have 

been implicated for playing a role in mass bee die-offs 

in Oregon and other states.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture this month banned 

the use four types of neonicotinoids on linden trees after 

identifying the chemicals as culprits in a series of mass

 bee die-offs in recent months. An agency spokeswoman 

said ODA is looking to the federal government for further 

guidance on pesticide regulations.

The EPA announced its decision to approve 

flupyradifurone Jan. 21 with a press release 

promoting the chemical as "safer for bees."

"Laboratory-based studies indicate that the compound 

is practically non-toxic to adult honeybees," the release 

stated. "Studies show no adverse effect on overall 

bee colony performance."

The plaintiffs disagree with that characterization. 

EPA researchers concluded the compound was 

safer for colonies because it kills individual bees 

on site, preventing them from carrying the chemical 

back to the hive where it could sicken other bees.

"Having the bees drop dead in the field rather than 

poisoning their whole hive is not something you want 

to write home about," said Lori Ann Burd, a Portland-based 

environmental health director for the Center for 

Biological Diversity.

Plus, Bird said, the EPA's statements about colony 

safety fail to account for the thousands of solitary bee 

species that don't live in hives.

The label accompanying containers of flupyradifurone 

acknowledges the substance "may have effects on 

endangered species." Plaintiffs say because of that, 

the agency was legally obligated to consult with 

federal wildlife agencies before approving the insecticide. It didn't.

"EPA cannot absolve its responsibilities to comply 

with the Endangered Species Act merely by 

acknowledging the harm to endangered species 

that exposure to Flupyradifurone will cause," 

the group told EPA administrator Gina McCarthy 

in a letter notifying her of their plans to sue.

The EPA has 60 days to respond, or the matter 

goes to court.

© 2015 Oregon Live LLC.

This article originally appeared here.