Must-read recap: The New Lede's top stories
Last week's stories feature an OIG reprimand of the EPA; a citizen science effort to warn people about dangerous Red Tides, and a push for regenerative farming.
OIG probe finds EPA broke the rules in pesticide cancer evaluation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not properly conduct the cancer risk for a widely used pesticide, a failure that could jeopardize human health, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said in a report issued this week.
In its July 20 report, the OIG cited a number of problems with how the EPA evaluated the cancer risk of the soil fumigant 1,3-Dichloropropene, (1,3-D). Among other problems, the EPA did not adhere to standard operating procedures and federal requirements in doing the assessment, the OIG found.
“These departures from established standards during the cancer assessment for 1,3-D undermine the EPA’s credibility, as well as public confidence in and the transparency of the Agency’s scientific approaches, in its efforts to prevent unreasonable impacts on human health,” the OIG said of the EPA.
1,3-D is one of the top three soil fumigants used in the United States. From 2014 through 2018, an average of approximately 37 million pounds of 1,3-D were applied to an average of 300,000 acres of agricultural crops annually.
The OIG probe came after the EPA changed the cancer classification in 2019 in a way that essentially downgraded the cancer risk and allowed for vastly increased exposures.
Farmers testify in Congress for policies to support regenerative agricultural practices
Farmer Kara Boyd and her husband maintain 1,500 acres of land in southern Virginia for growing crops and livestock. Their farm employs regenerative agriculture practices such as no-till farming and conservative pesticide use that are meant to build healthy soil and increase food production.
Many researchers state that regenerative agriculture can also help farms build resilience against climate change and sequester carbon. But farmers like Boyd who hope to use regenerative methods face a lack of economic resources and restrictive policies.
Boyd was among a group of five farmers, ranchers, and a researcher who testified this week before a congressional subcommittee about a need for policies that support regenerative agriculture.
“Our modern industrialized food system makes [regenerative agriculture] difficult to practice,” said Representative Ro Khanna, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Environment, during the hearing in his opening statement. “Federal policy supports inherently unsustainable practices.”
Citizen scientists help map “red tide” algae blooms
Nearly every day, Florida resident Pradeepa Siva goes paddle boarding through Doctors Pass in Naples. The thin passageway between Moorings Bay and the Florida Gulf of Mexico is home to a couple of friendly dolphins, which Siva often sees on her outings.
But the journey is about more than exercise and wildlife sightings, because when Siva paddle boards she is also participating in a government-funded science project aimed at protecting public health as climate change brings warming ocean waters and predictions for rising incidences of a dangerous phenomenon known as the “red tide.”
Red tides occur when warming waters and other factors spur the growth of a type of rust-colored algae known as Karenia brevis. The algae produces toxic compounds that are harmful to humans as well as dolphins, manatees, shellfish and other sea life. Exposure to the algae can cause respiratory illnesses and other problems for people who are exposed, and, in rare occasions, be debilitating or even fatal.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has set up a red tide task force and the state has allocated more than $40 million since 2019 to addressing red tide.
Also in an effort to address the threat, last year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched the Red Tide Respiratory Forecast, an online map that show the presence and severity of red tide at select locations. People can use the map to check safety conditions before swimming or fishing or engaging in other activities in the water. The warning system is especially important during peak bloom season from August to December.
To defend climate rules, agencies may need to downplay their significance
Environmental law experts are outlining how federal agencies might defend their ability to enforce climate regulations, following a controversial Supreme Court decision that limits government-mandated cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
One potential defense the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies could offer is to argue that their climate rules are incremental and do not transform economic sectors, a group of former EPA officials and other environmental experts said last week during a public webinar.
The high court decision implies “that just talking about climate could get us into trouble” in lawsuits over agency greenhouse gas rules, Lisa Heinzerling, a law professor with Georgetown University Law Center and a former head of EPA’s policy office, said. Framing climate rules as being developed “just like they’ve always done” with past policies might help them survive legal challenges in light of the decision, she said.