EPA Public Comment Period Open on Neonicotinoid Insecticide Ecological Risk Assessments, Closes February 20

The EPA recently opened a public comment period on ecological risk assessments of four neonicotinoid insecticides as part of the ongoing registration review for these materials. The purpose of this comment period is to allow stakeholders and the general public to provide input on the risks and benefits of these materials related to their use in agricultural production. A press release detailing this announcement can be found at the following link: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-releases-neonicotinoid-assessments-public-comment. At the bottom of the page, links are provided to the registration review “dockets” where specific documents can be viewed and comments can be submitted. The active ingredients included under this review include (example trade names in parentheses) imidacloprid (Admire Pro®, Gaucho®), clothianidin (Poncho®, Belay®), thiamethoxam (Cruiser®, Endigo®), and dinotefuran (Certador®, Safari®).

The documents being released for comment can be found under the “Supporting Documents” heading within each individual docket, while the link to comment can be found on the main page for each docket. If you are interested in submitting a comment, I would encourage you to view “Tips for Effective Comments” at the following link: https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets#tips. Information that could help to inform EPA’s regulatory process would include real-world usage rates, target pests, application methods, and observed benefits and/or risks to production systems from the use of these materials.