EPA let Bayer select weedkiller regulations, internal documents reportedly show

The short version

• Internal EPA records revealed in litigation indicate the agency let Bayer choose among proposed restrictions for the drift-prone herbicide dicamba.[The Guardian]
• Bayer selected a less restrictive volatility standard allowing applications up to 95°F and secured an unproposed exemption for non-tank-mixed treatments.[The Guardian]
• The rules affect agricultural producers, orchards, and surrounding ecosystems that have historically suffered millions of acres of drift damage.[The Guardian]
• Litigants contend the current framework offers fewer safeguards than prior approvals that federal courts overturned twice.[The Guardian]

Key facts

• Internal EPA documents released in litigation show the agency gave Bayer options ranging from more to less protective for regulating dicamba volatility and runoff.[The Guardian]
• Bayer chose a volatility option allowing applications up to 95°F with reduced acreage rather than an 85°F cap, and EPA accepted its runoff mitigation choice.[The Guardian]
• The EPA granted an additional unproposed change requested by Bayer allowing full-field spraying at higher temperatures if the chemical is not tank mixed.[The Guardian]
• Courts have twice ordered dicamba removed from the market due to drift damage, though the agency subsequently re-approved it.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• US environment agency let Bayer pick regulations for destructive weedkiller, documents showThe Guardian - US