epa

Odds are your jack-o-lanterns won’t be around long after Halloween this Thursday.  But, before you pitch that pumpkin, Susan Baker, Deschutes County Waste Diversion Manager, said you don’t want to put it in the trash.   “There is a way for folks to go ahead and compost their leftover pumpkins after Halloween. Also, remembering that if you h...

Forty-seven Democratic members of Congress have asked EPA Administrator Michael Regan to ban the use of the herbicide paraquat.  The lawmakers, led by Texas Congressman Greg Casar, told Regan the chemical is particularly dangerous for farmworkers.  Th...

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a final rule to restore the pesticide Application Exclusion Zone requirements under the 2015 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard.  The AEZ is an area surrounding outdoor pesticide application equipment where people are prohibited while pesticides are applied.  Th...

Last month, the Snake River Sugarbeet Growers Association hosted their 2nd annual EPA Crop Tour.  From August 11th-14th, Idaho’s farming community hosted staff members from the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs.  Samantha Parrott, Executive Director of the Snake River Sugarbeet Growers Association, noted all of Idaho agriculture was on display during the three-day event.   “So we showcased water.

An effort is underway to try and reform the Endangered Species Act after over a half-century of what some have called an “abysmal failure”.  House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, and Central Washington’s Dan Newhouse, have introduced the ESA Amendment Act.   “Which is a produc...

In today's Focus on Fruit, Mark Powers talks about the EPA, Endangered Species, and what it means for local growers.   If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com ...

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation was awarded a $3 million cooperative agreement from the Environmental Protection Agency to implement the Pesticide Inspector Residential Training Program.  The funding will significantly expand the nationwide educational training provided to pesticide inspectors and enforcement staff over the next five years.   ...

The Environmental Protection Agency released its final Herbicide Strategy, calling it an “unprecedented step” in protecting over 900 federally endangered and threatened species from the potential impacts of herbicides.   EPA said it will use the strategy to identify measures to reduce the amount of herbicide exposure to these species when it registers new herbicides and when it reevaluates registe

A Washington, D.C., Circuit Court panel vacated a swath of government decisions denying requests from small fossil fuel refineries to be temporarily exempt from the Renewable Fuel Standard.   In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency denied all pending exemption requests from small refineries, finding the only costs that could cause such economic hardship were those tied to compliance with the

It's an effort within our nation going on almost a decade now.  “In 2015, USDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set a national goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030,” noted Jean Busby who has been involved in these efforts for several years now as USDA’s Food Loss and Waste Liaison.    That include...