EPA seeking public comment on a field implementation plan for its Endangered Species Protection Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment on a field implementation plan for its Endangered Species Protection Program (ESPP). The proposal, published in the Federal Register on Dec. 2, describes EPA’s plan for ensuring the protection of federally listed endangered and threatened species, in compliance with both section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The comment period closes March 2.

Implementation of the ESPP would be achieved by completing and upgrading county bulletins, amending pesticide labels to reference county bulletins and enhancing monitoring programs. The program’s goal is to carry out the agency’s responsibilities under FIFRA in compliance with the ESA while avoiding unnecessary burdens on agricultural and other pesticide users.

The public docket includes a summary of the current technical review and consultation approaches employed by EPA and the standard evaluation procedure used for ecological risk assessments. “Through a separate Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking …, EPA, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce are seeking public input on ways that such counterpart regulations could improve the ESA consultation process with respect to pesticide registration,” EPA states. “Similarly, implementing regulations under FIFRA may be revised to ensure a more effective program.”

Details on the plan are available at www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-SPECIES/2002/December/Day-02/e30463.htm. For information on EPA’s Endangered Species Protection Program, see www.epa.gov/espp.