By Ryan Adams
Chlorpyrifos has been in limbo since last summer. For now, growers who need the pesticide can still use it. But for how long?
Chlorpyrifos has been a viable tool for agriculture for many years in vegetables, cotton, orchards, peanuts, and other crops. For some growers, the tool is essential, controlling pests that no other ingredient can. The chemistry has been targeted for banning for many years from environmental and health groups, but the regulatory ax has yet to sever the pesticide’s head.
In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered the EPA to immediately revoke all tolerances for chlorpyrifos, essentially banning its use. In doing this, the court leapfrogged over the EPA’s regulatory process and current review of the pesticide. In September, the EPA asked the court to review again its decision. The first week of February, the court announced it would indeed rehear the case. And that is where the story of chlorpyrifos rests now.