AgroPages-US district court dismisses multiple claims in ESA mega suit-Agricultural news

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero dismissed the vast majority of the plaintiffs’ claims in their third attempt at a complaint in the case Center for Biological Diversity and Pesticide Action Network North America v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), known as the Endangered Species Act (ESA) ‘Mega’ suit.

Judge Spero dismissed in their entirety the plaintiffs’ first two complaints in 2012 and 2013, respectively, each time allowing the plaintiffs to refile the complaint. In his August 2013 order, Judge Spero dismissed most of the plaintiffs’ claims, but again has allowed the plaintiffs to refile the complaint on narrow issues.

The plaintiffs originally sought to restrict the use of valuable crop protection and public health products for American farmers and consumers by alleging that the existing and long-standing registration of more than 380 chemicals may negatively impact 214 species in 49 states. If the court had agreed to the full demands of the plaintiffs, agriculture and public health protection in the U.S. would have been drastically and negatively altered by attempts to impede pesticide registrations established under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

Due to the efforts of the U.S. government, CLA (CropLife America) and other industry allies, 63 of the 74 remaining claims in the plaintiffs’ third attempt at a complaint were knocked out.