 THREATENED:
Endangered Species Protections from Pesticides
The Bush Administration is
attempting to weaken the Endangered Species Act by
rewriting the rules that protect fish and wildlife from
toxic pesticides. Under the Endangered Species Act, EPA
must ensure that their approvals of pesticide
registrations do not jeopardize the species listed as
endangered or threatened. EPA must consult with USFWS
and NMFS if a pesticide's use may affect listed species.
EPA has a history of violating its obligations under the
Endangered Species Act to protect listed species and
their habitat--these violations support the need for
enforcement of the requirement for continuing formal
consultation with the Services. Furthermore, the EPA
lacks the requisite expertise in the complex biology of
endangered fish and wildlife that is necessary to ensure
the species' protection, survival, and recovery. This
rule would remove the requirement for consultation.
Information Provided to
the United States Congress - January 2004 (PDF)
ACAT Action Alert on
Proposed Changes to the Endangered Species Act -
Mar/April 2004 (PDF)
ACAT comments to USFWS
and NOAA on Proposed Changes to the Endangered Species
Act (PDF)
LINDANE: Calling for a Ban
to Eliminate Use in North America
Over 30 public health,
Indigenous, and conservation organizations presented a
declaration in support of a continent-wide ban on the
toxic pesticide lindane to the North American Commission
for Environmental Cooperation (NACEC) Task Force on
Lindane, held in Anchorage February 2004. Lindane is a
highly persistent and toxic insecticide already banned
by 17 countries. Children are particularly vulnerable to
the toxic effects of lindane. The insecticide is a
potent neurotoxin and listed as a possible carcinogen.
Lindane persists in the environment and travels long
distances via atmospheric and oceanic currents to the
Arctic and Sub-Arctic.
Learn
more about Lindane by viewing or downloading the
following files:
Statement to Eliminate
Lindane (PDF)
Signatories in Support
of Ban on Lindane (PDF)
Press Release during
Anchorage Meetings for North American Task Force (PDF)
Also see related
articles in ACAT's Winter 2004 Newsletter (Page 11):
"Children's Health
at Risk: Call for the ban of the toxic pesticide Lindane
used to treat head lice and scabies"
"Alternatives to
Lindane for the Treatment of Headlice"
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