US to assess pesticide risks to endangered species

The EPA, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – will hold a stakeholder workshop entitled "Status of Efforts to Implement the Recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences' Report, 'Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides.'" The meeting will be held on November 15, 2013.

The four agencies worked collaboratively to develop interim scientific policies and procedures, and will present their joint Interim Approaches for implementing the recommendations contained in the April 2013 NAS report. The stakeholder workshop will provide an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on the document.

The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences wrote the report after the four agencies asked the NRC to consider a range of scientific and technical issues. The report outlines recommendations on specific scientific and technical issues related to the development of pesticide risk assessments that are compliant with the Endangered Species Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.