Judge revokes EPA’s approval of insecticide

SAN FRANCISCO – An appeals court Thursday overturned federal approval of an insecticide used on a variety of crops, ruling that it could hasten an already “alarming” decline in bees.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the federal Environmental Protection Agency approved the insecticide, sulfoxaflor, based on flawed and limited information. Initial studies showed the insecticide was highly toxic to honeybees.

“Bees are essential to pollinate important crops and in recent years have been dying at alarming rates,” Judge Mary Schroeder wrote for a three-judge panel.

Beekeepers and beekeeping organizations challenged the EPA’s 2013 approval of sulfoxaflor, made by Dow Agrosciences and designed for use on many crops, including citrus, cotton, canola, strawberries, soybeans and wheat.

Janette Brimmer, who represented the beekeepers for Earthjustice, an environmental group, said the ruling affects the entire country and will force states to withdraw more local rules that have permitted the insecticide.

Federal appeals courts “almost never” overturn EPA approvals of pesticides, Brimmer said.

“This was a pretty significant decision,” she said. “It revokes the registration, and it is a national registration.”

Sold under the brand names Closer and Transform, sulfoxaflor is an insecticide aimed at piercing and sucking insects (such as aphids and lygus) that attack a variety of crops, such as cotton, tomato, pepper, strawberry and citrus.