The U.S. Solicitor General has backed Bayer’s request for the Supreme Court to hear its Roundup case.  Bayer has spent about 10 billion dollars over the past decade settling claims that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, caused cancer. The company maintains that glyphosate is safe and has sought limits on state-level failure-to-warn lawsuits, arguing that federal law should prevail because the Environmental Protection Agency does not require a cancer warning on Roundup labels.

 

The Supreme Court asked the administration in June to clarify its position, and Solicitor General John Sauer responded this week with an opinion that aligned with Bayer’s argument. Sauer emphasized that the EPA has consistently concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic in humans and has repeatedly approved Roundup labels without any cancer warnings. Allowing states to impose separate requirements, Sauer wrote, would leave manufacturers vulnerable to a patchwork of conflicting rules.