Federal Court Strikes Down Sulfoxaflor

Watch this decision on sulfoxaflor closely. Sulfoxaflor raised the same unanswered questions as clothianidin, but because the EPA had come under criticism for its outrageous abuse of conditional registrations, once again they tried to do an end run around the law. If they had given sulfoxaflor a conditional registration, there would of course have been conditions, which could have been tracked and monitored. Instead the EPA gave sulfoxaflor full registration which under the law would have meant that they would not have to revisit that decision for 15 years unless challenged. They were challenged, rightly so, and the court has found their decision lacking. According to Michele Colopy of the Pollinator Stewardship Council the EPA has 45 days in which to comply with the judges’ decision. We won’t have to wait long to see if the EPA does comply and follows its charter to protect people and the environment or tries to use some dodge to weasel out and carry out the wishes of their chemical handlers. Next we need to revisit their flawed decision to register clothianidin despite its clear failure to meet the requirements for registration. This isn’t over yet.