CropLife America (CLA) presentó una petición ante el Departamento del Interior y el Servicio Nacional de Pesquerías Marinas (NMFS) solicitando mejoras a la evaluación de las acciones de las agencias federales bajo la Ley de Especies en Peligro de Extinción (ESA). Específicamente, las mejoras ampliarían el papel del solicitante durante el proceso de consulta para el registro de pesticidas bajo la Ley Federal de Insecticidas, Fungicidas y Rodenticidas (FIFRA).
CLA, and its members, have highlighted several problems in how the current ESA consultation process is conducted, most notably that the process is often delayed, not based on the “best scientific and commercial data available,” and often excluding entities with the most pertinent information, such as crop protection and public health product registrants. These problems result in flawed scientific analysis by the Services, and unnecessary litigation that prevent farmers and others from using vital crop protection and other essential products necessary to produce America’s food and fiber and serve other pubic needs.
Las mejoras solicitadas codificarían la orientación ya existente que con frecuencia se ignora durante la consulta de la ESA y fortalecerían el papel de los solicitantes más allá de lo que se proporciona actualmente, pero de una manera totalmente coherente con la ESA y los reglamentos de ejecución. La petición subraya la necesidad de una mayor estructura en la revisión de plaguicidas en el marco de la ESA. La EPA y los Servicios, incluidos NMFS y el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de EE. UU. (FWS), tienen puntos de vista muy diferentes sobre los enfoques para evaluar el riesgo y el sistema actual debe revisarse para facilitar un proceso más simplificado y transparente con más aportes de los solicitantes.
“Several court decisions and out-of-court settlements related to the failure of the agencies to comply with the consultation process have forced the EPA and the Services to conduct hasty and unsound consultations,” said Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA. “Most often their decisions are based on outdated or incomplete information. It is CLA’s hope that our recommendations are considered so that all parties involved can have a voice in this important and necessary process.”
Among the improvements suggested by CLA, include making documents used by the Services during consultation, including documents and studies, available to the applicant; providing a role for the applicant in an informal consultation; and providing for a comment period following the required submission of the agency’s biological assessment to any state(s) affected by the agency action and the response by the Service to any state-written comments on the assessment.
Detailed information on the Endangered Species Act, including CLA’s position paper, can be found aquí.