A federal judge ruled on Thursday in favor of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation interpretation that supports the agency’s denial of a petition to register pesticide-coated seeds.
In a 34-page ruling, District Judge Susa Illston said the EPA’s analysis of its “Treated Articles Exemption” is “reasonable and owed deference.”
“The EPA’s petition denial did not fail to consider relevant evidence,” Illston said. “Lastly, to the extent that the EPA lacks certain data, plaintiffs must challenge these gaps in an alternate proceeding.”
In 2023, two nonprofits, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and the Pesticide Action Network North America sued the EPA for what the plaintiffs described as the defendant’s failure “to close a regulatory loophole allowing insecticide-coated seeds to avoid regulation.”…