Herbicides Linked to Water Pollution Eyed for Public Land Use

The Biden administration is planning to control noxious weeds on federal land using seven new herbicides that scientists say can contaminate streams and groundwater and are harmful to aquatic life.

The plan and environmental review, announced last week, would allow seven additional herbicides to be used where noxious weeds are found on 245 million acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management across the West. It’s open for comment through June 5.

The agency hasn’t previously used the herbicides on its land and says it needs to use them to control invasive species because climate change is ...