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More Pesticides Could End Up in Your Food by George W. Genevro Salem Statesman Journal - August 6, 2004

Would you like a little more herbicide residue in the salmon and trout that you catch in Oregon’s rivers? How about some extra pesticide in your broccoli and green beans? That may well be a part of your future.

A new federal rule promulgated by the Bush administration seems to be an attempt to solve a problem — as they see it — that has led to court-ordered restrictions on EPA-approved pesticides and lawsuits challenging the use of other such chemicals.

Under the terms of the new rule, which is apparently favored by industry and certain farm groups, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service would be required to develop a process that the EPA must use to determine if a pesticide is harmful to certain species.

However, the EPA — on its own initiative — is allowed to determine that the product is safe, can completely ignore the concerns of the above agencies and anybody else, and approve its use.

Isn’t regulatory “streamlining” great? Imagine the joy and high-fives as the K-streeters in Washington celebrate. Enjoy your dinner!

Related Pages:
A Push for Pesticides, Editors of Boston Globe, 8/6/4