US environment agency let Bayer pick regulations for destructive weedkiller, documents show
Environmental Protection Agency asked firm to choose rules it wanted for dicamba, then put the choices in a proposed federal rule
TL;DR
- EPA internal documents show the agency allowed Bayer to select preferred regulations for the weedkiller dicamba.
- Bayer chose less protective options for limiting dicamba volatility and runoff.
- Courts have twice banned dicamba due to drift problems, which cause widespread vegetation damage.
- Critics describe the process as the EPA being 'captured' by industry and allowing self-regulation.
- The EPA maintains the process is working as intended and that registrants' input helps preserve product utility.
- Dicamba drift has damaged millions of acres of farmland and natural areas since 2016.