"U.S. EPA acted illegally when it delayed new regulations on the certification and training of pesticide applicators, a federal judge ruled yesterday.

Judge Jeffrey White of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California threw out the one-year delay, granting a motion for summary judgment by farmworker and environmental groups.

EPA's delay, he wrote, has prevented the three-year implementation process "from even beginning," and "each week that passes" makes it more likely the rule will not be in place by March 2020 as originally intended."

Amanda Reilly reports for E&E News PM March 22, 2018. [2]