FIFRA and the Endangered Species Act: Finding a Balance between Agricultural Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability, and Regulatory Stability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62300/kmbpep31Keywords:
FIFRA, Endangered Species Act (ESA), Pesticide regulation, Risk-benefit analysis, Environmental policy, Species protection, Regulatory consultation, Agricultural sustainability, EPA Workplan, Conservation, Risk assessment, LitigationAbstract
This paper explores the complex intersection between the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), focusing on the challenges of harmonizing pesticide regulation with species protection mandates. It reviews the historical evolution of both statutes, the repeated cycles of regulatory attempts, and the persistent difficulties in implementing effective consultation processes. The authors highlight the contrasting frameworks of FIFRA’s risk-benefit balancing and ESA’s species-centric approach, which have led to logistical overload, litigation, and regulatory uncertainty. Recent initiatives by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including the ESA Workplan Update and pilot projects, aim to improve compliance and integrate better science and mapping techniques. However, the paper questions whether these efforts will resolve longstanding conflicts or perpetuate the cycle of stalled implementation. Ultimately, it calls for innovative, collaborative solutions to achieve agricultural efficiency, environmental sustainability, and regulatory stability.
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