The Biden administration said it would protect 27 endangered and threatened species, including some pollinators, through targeted limits on the use of pesticides in their habitats. The EPA proposal focused on species that have small populations and a limited range and that are highly susceptible to environmental stresses.
So-called pilot species on the EPA list included the rusty patched bumble bee, the Poweshiek skipperling butterfly, and the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. The EPA said its proposal would protect the species from pesticide drift and runoff. The mitigation measures were designed to be broad enough to protect the species and easily understood by pesticide users.
The EPA described its proposal in a white paper and invited public comment for 45 days.
“This is an exciting new development that turns the focus to individual species especially imperiled by pesticides and the measures immediately needed to protect them,” said Lori Ann Burd of the Center for Biological Diversity. If adopted, the restrictions on pesticide use “will be an important step toward preventing their extinction.”
The EPA white paper is available here.