States Overuse ‘Emergency’ Pesticide Exemptions, Watchdogs Say

Three states that ask the EPA every year for permission to use a pesticide proven to harm bees are using emergency exemptions as a backdoor way to evade pesticide rules, an environmental group argues.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia recently petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency for an emergency exemption to use dinotefuran, a neonicotinoid-based insecticide, on peaches, apples, and nectarines. The chemical helps control the brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive plant-eating pest that can ravage fruit, vegetable, and ornamental crops.

Generally, pesticide products can only be used as labeled. When an agricultural emergency arises, such as an invasive pest that ...