EPA finalized its interim registration decision for paraquat on Aug. 1, reversing its proposal last year to ban most aerial applications.
 
Instead, the agency will permit aerial applications of the Group 22 herbicide in crops, with expanded buffer requirements and acreage limits designed to protect applicators. Aerial use of paraquat is most common in cotton, where it is used as a plant desiccant to prepare for harvest.
 
Though finalized, EPA's conclusion here remains an "interim" registration decision. The agency will not have a complete registration decision for paraquat until it conducts its endangered species assessment and an endocrine screening for the chemical.
 
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