Democratic Bill Would Strengthen EPA’s Pesticide Protections

House and Senate Democrats on Tuesday will unveil legislation that would allow the public to petition the EPA to immediately declare a pesticide as “dangerous” and force the agency to conduct more timely reviews of pesticides.

The bill, to be introduced in the Senate by Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and in the House by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), is meant to address complaints that the agency has failed to aggressively regulate pesticides under Democratic and Republican administrations alike.

The outlook for the bill is unclear, given what little time the House and Senate are slated ...