Biden Proposes Raising Acceptable Threshold For Common Agricultural Pesticide

"The Biden administration is proposing to raise a key threshold determining how much of a pesticide that’s commonly used in the agriculture industry the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finds concerning in the environment — spurring ire from some environmental advocates.

The agency currently considers an average of just 3.4 micrograms per liter of the pesticide atrazine to be an acceptable level.

But a proposal released this week raises that level up to 9.7 micrograms — saying nearly three times as much of the substance is OK to be present in the environment.

Under the draft plan, actions will need to be taken to mitigate potential impacts when levels in the environment exceed the 9.7 microgram level.

Lori Ann Burd, environmental health program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, slammed the proposal."

Rachel Frazin reports for The Hill December 6, 2024.

Source: The Hill, 12/09/2024