The EPA cannot bypass assessing pesticide impacts on endangered species, even for new, relatively low-risk products, a federal appeals court ruled June 30.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit did not knock cyantraniliprole off the market by vacating the registration—welcome news for DuPont Co. and Syngenta Crop Protection LLC, which make and market the pesticide. The pesticide is used to kill insects threatening citrus crops and blueberries.
The opinion also addressed the question of what court has jurisdiction over Endangered Species Act cases involving registration of pesticides for use (Ctr. for Biological Diversity v. EPA, D.C. Cir., No. 14-1036, 6/30/17