Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan joined five other state Attorneys General seeking to intervene in a lawsuit to force federal action on a toxic pesticide, Chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos, a widely-used pesticide on food crops – including those consumed by infants, young children and pregnant women – has been shown to negatively impact proper development and functioning of the central nervous system and the brain.
The Attorneys General are seeking to join a case, which is before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, to compel the EPA to take final action on a petition submitted by a coalition of environmental, human health and farmworker non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to revoke all chlorpyrifos “tolerances” - or permitted residues - on food.
“Vermont deserves safe food. Our children deserve safe food,” said Attorney General Donovan. “Vermonters’ health is at risk by continued exposure to this pesticide on food.”
The public health dangers of chlorpyrifos are well-documented. EPA scientists have been unable to identify a safe level for the pesticide on food. In 2015, the EPA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to revoke all tolerances for the pesticide on food because the Agency was unable to identify a safe level of chlorpyrifos on food. In a 2016 notice related to the proposed rulemaking, EPA reiterated that it was unable to make the safety finding required to allow the tolerances to remain in place. But in March 2017, in a sudden reversal of course, the EPA issued an administrative order denying the NGOs petition and failed to allow the proposed revocation of food tolerances to take effect. The order puts off until October 2022, if not longer, any decision on whether to revoke or modify current residues or tolerances for the pesticide.
This filing marks the second recent action by Attorney General Donovan opposing the EPA’s position on chlorpyrifos. Last month Attorney General Donovan joined six other state Attorneys General to file comments in opposition to the EPA’s March order.
Along with Vermont, the motion to intervene includes the Attorneys General of Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Source: Attorney General 7.7.2017