Larry A. Watts 
For months, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been playing with a vital tool for corn farmers: Atrazine. Today, the agency announced a review of the chemical’s registration that will place restrictions and measures on the herbicide, limiting farmers’ ability to use the product effectively.
The National Corn Growers’ Association expressed disappointment with the EPA’s decisions, although the EPA agreed to conduct further scientific review. The producers and the the public can comment on the proposal during the 60-day comment period.
NCGA President Chris Edington said, “We can feed and feed the world and fight climate change, but we can’t do these things without modern agricultural tools, and atrazine is an essential tool for our work.
The issue is the equivalent aquatic ecosystem concentration level of concern (EC-LOC). In a published ruling that concluded the 2020 atrazine registration review, the EPA set the CE-LOC of atrazine at 15 parts per billion (ppb). Environmental activist groups retaliated by filing a lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This opened the door for the EPA to change tack and alter its decision. Today, the EPA proposed an ultra-low CE-LOC of 3.4 parts per billion, which would have devastating effects on farmers.
A group called the Triazine networkwho worked to fight the decision, accuses the EPA of employing revisionist history, neglecting any sense of transparency, and rejecting a strong body of evidence supporting 15 ppb, Amanda Zaluckyj wrote in a column for AGDAILY. He also points out that atrazine is an important tool used in no-till and conservation tillage, both of which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In Zaluckyj’s words, “It really feels like we’re setting a dangerous precedent. If the Triazine Network is right…the EPA opens these types of assessments to the whims of politics. The current agency doesn’t like what the previous agency did under a previous administration with a different political persuasion. But it is untenable that security and risk assessments can change each time a new political party controls the White House.
Growers already face a limited supply of effective and safe herbicides. Atrazine is a triazine herbicide used to control grassy weeds and broadleaf weeds. The chemical affects the weed’s ability to photosynthesize; it is generally not harmful to humans. Previous atrazine regulations were established by the EPA and provided safe parameters for the use of the chemical. Registered pesticides are reviewed every 15 years, the next review for atrazine will be in 2035.
“To say the producers are frustrated is an understatement. The science hasn’t changed since 2020, when the EPA set the level of concern at 15 parts per billion. The EPA is playing politics with this decision and should not adopt this ultra-low level of concern,” said Greg Krissek, Triazine Network Co-Chair and CEO of the Kansas Corn Growers Association. “We urge farmers to object to EPA’s regulatory tricks and submit their comments to EPA during the 60-day comment period this summer.”
The Triazine network includes National Corn Growers Association, Grain Sorghum Growers Association, Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association and others.
The revisions include new measures that will affect farmers’ use of all triazine products in the following situations:
- When soils are saturated
- In case of rain or storm
- Prohibits aerial spraying
- Limits annual application rates to 2 pounds of active ingredient per acre
Atrazine Review Timeline:
- In September 2020, the EPA released the original interim registration review decision for atrazine.
- In October 2020, the EPA received a petition suggesting that the EPA released the ID of atrazine without sufficient evidence.
- In November 2020, the EPA released draft biological assessments.
- In November 2021, the EPA released the Biological Assessment
- In December 2021, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a voluntary partial remand, providing an opportunity for the EPA to reevaluate its policy decision on the allowable level of regulation of atrazine for aquatic plant communities.
- In June 2022, the EPA released proposed revisions to atrazine reviews for public comment.
Farmers rely on efficient products to produce yields that allow crops to be grown using fewer resources and environmentally friendly methods. Using effective herbicides can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting tillage.
Atrazine allows farmers to increase crop plant resources by eliminating weeds that use nutrients, water and other resources crops need to grow.
Atrazine is primarily used on corn, sorghum, and sugar cane crops, although it is also used on wheat, macadamia nuts, and guava. It is also registered for use on nursery ornamentals and turf.
Before any part of this proposal is implemented, EPA must fulfill its promises to convene a formal FIFRA Scientific Advisory Committee to specifically explore the scientific basis for the proposed CE-LOC revision and ensure that high-quality research quality supports the proposal.
