BISMARCK - Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says states should play a greater role in determining limits on pesticide use in areas inhabited by endangered species.
"States can provide valuable information, such as land use, pesticides use, soil types and monitoring, that can be used in determining risks," Goehring said in a statement. Goehring responded to a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency to establish new procedures for creating and amending endangered species protection bulletins, a news release said.
Goehring supports the EPA in the effort and said having a structured and well-defined bulletin creation process will benefit stakeholders.
EPA issues bulletins on a county basis when endangered species are present. The bulletins typically include a county map, a description of the species, pesticides of concern, pesticide use limitations and the month when the bulletin is in effect.
"The current bulletin creation process does not have a formal mechanism for input by states and other third parties," Goehring said in a statement. "Our department has tried to work with EPA to set up procedures to insure state participation into bulletins, but we never had a response from EPA."
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Goehring urged EPA to make it clear how and when input and data from states, citizens and other third parties can be submitted and considered. He said the rulemaking procedures should also lay out consultation procedures with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help avoid further litigation.
