Defying a Federal Court Order, Trump’s EPA Approves Continued Use of Toxic Weedkiller Dicamba

WASHINGTON – In defiance of a federal court order, on Tuesday the Environmental Protection Agency extended the use of a weedkiller linked to cancer, pitting farmers who use it on genetically engineered crops against others whose adjacent fields can be devastated by drift of the chemical.  

The EPA will permit three herbicides – Syngenta’s Tavium, Bayer’s XtendiMax and BASF’s Engenia – based on the chemical, called dicamba, to remain in use between 2021 and 2025.

The EPA’s decision ignores an order in June by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals vacating the use of dicamba. In its opinion, the court cited the EPA’s failure to acknowledge the risks the chemical poses to conventional crops and the environment.

CONTINUE READING ON www.ewg.org