Over 93 percent of endangered species and 96 percent of their habitats are likely to be harmed by glyphosate, the ubiquitous and controversial herbicide, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported in a draft evaluation released last week.
 
The evaluation was conducted as part of a registration review—the agency’s routine process for renewing herbicides, pesticides, and other chemicals for use in the United States every 15 years. An interim decision, released in January, paved the way for the chemical’s renewal, which EPA said was safe to humans if used correctly. But the agency must now assess the herbicide’s impact on nearly 1,800 protected plants and animals, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This law prohibits federal agencies from engaging in actions likely to “jeopardize the continued existence” of threatened or endangered species.
 
The initial findings are now open for 60 days of public review, after which the EPA will decide how to limit the use of the pesticide, in order to protect those plants and animals. Because of that timing, a decision to rein in the most popular farm chemical in the history of the world could be among President-elect Biden’s first environmental actions. After years in which the Trump administration rolled back regulations on pesticides, and shrank the number of animals protected under the ESA, it could signal that a chastened EPA—reportedly in revolt—is coming back to life.
 
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