President Obama's Administration announced a Ban on Bee-Killing Pesticides in Wildlife Refuges. The move came after an estimated Half a Million Pounds were sprayed by Farmers and Ranchers operating on Wildlife Refuges.
But now the Trump administration wants to bring Toxic Pesticides back to Wildlife Refuges. We know from Scientific Research that Toxic Neonicotinoid Pesticides are Killing Bees and harming other Pollinators like Butterflies. It's why the European Union voted to BAN the Outdoor use of Neonicotinoid Pesticides and States like Connecticut and Maryland have moved to Limit their use.
The Senate can still act to Block this dangerous Rollback, but they need to act FAST.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Scott Pruitt Signed an Order Denying the Agency’s own Proposal to ban Chlorpyrifos, according to a Wednesday afternoon Press Release. “We need to provide regulatory certainty to the thousands of American farms that rely on chlorpyrifos, while still protecting human health and the environment,” Pruitt said in a written Statement. “By reversing the previous Administration’s steps to ban one of the most widely used pesticides in the world, we are returning to using sound science in decision-making – rather than predetermined results.”
By Friday, President Trump’s EPA will have to make a Decision: whether to Protect Kids from a widely used Pesticide that’s known to harm their Brains, or Protect the Interests of the Chemical’s Maker, Dow AgroSciences.
The Pesticide in question, Chlorpyrifos, is a nasty piece of work. It’s an Organophosphate, a Class of Bug Killers that work by “interrupting the electrochemical processes that nerves use to communicate with muscles and other nerves,” as the Pesticide Encyclopedia puts it.
Chlorpyrifos is also an Endocrine Disrupter, meaning it can cause “adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects,” according to the National Institutes of Health.
It would be quite something for the Trump Administration to Dismiss Overwhelming Evidence from EPA Scientists and continue allowing Chlorpyrifos to be Sprayed on Crops with few Restrictions. But he has already Displayed a Willingness to Trash the Agency’s Rule-Making Process to Placate his Big Ag Supporters.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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