Americans submit comments stating the obvious: A pesticide coated on a seed is a pesticide

One of my colleagues called it a loophole big enough to drive a tractor through. It’s true.

For too long and for reasons that perhaps once made some inkling of sense, the U.S. EPA doesn’t regulate pesticides that are coated onto seeds.

How big is this problem? Let’s start here: more than 150 million acres of America’s croplands are planted with seeds treated with bee-killing neonicotinoids, or neonics.

Adding to that, the pesticide doesn’t stay on the seed but grows throughout the plant and spreads  into soil and water.

Uff da, as my Minnesota relatives would  say.

But there’s some good news. The EPA seems to understand that this is a problem, and the agency is beginning to look under the hood, asking for public comments.

Environment America and state environmental groups, PIRG and state groups, and Environmental Action teamed up to submit more than 37,000 comments, calling on the EPA to close the loophole and regulate pesticides coated onto seeds.

EPA has extended the comment period to FEB 9, 2024, and so there’s still time to engage (below).