Atrazine Panel Convened by EPA
NCGA testimony questions the motivation for review.
Compiled by staff
Published: Nov 4, 2009
Last month the Environmental Protection Agency announced a comprehensive review of the herbicide atrazine leading up to its reauthorization next year. EPA convened the first of many Scientific Advisory Panels on atrazine Tuesday, despite requests from several groups to postpone the meeting until the public comment period was closed.
National Corn Growers Association Director of Public Policy Rod Snyder testified before the panel and questioned the review due to the fact that the agency has not identified any new credible data to merit a new comprehensive review of the product.
"There is no evidence that EPA has thoroughly evaluated any new underlying studies before proceeding with this particular panel," Snyder said. "In fact, the agency is attempting to review a host of issues in the next twelve months that previously took more than a decade to consider. This creates a false sense of urgency and causes our members to question the motivation behind this process."
Snyder cited the thousands of scientific studies that have been considered by the EPA that support the registration and use of atrazine. The very short comment period in the middle of harvest making it difficult for corn farmers to submit comments was also questioned by Snyder. In conclusion he stated NCGA's staunch support of the continued use of atrazine.
"NCGA believes that 50 years of safe use and extensive monitoring data support atrazine's continued registration in the United States," Snyder said. "In short, we are simply asking EPA to stand by its own science."
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Tagged: EPA, NCGA, Harvest, Environmental Protection Agency, National Corn Growers Association
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