| Republican leaders on the House Ag Committee wrote a letter to Chairman David Scott requesting he hold a hearing with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan in September.
Regan, who took the helm at EPA in March 2021, has become a frequent target of Republicans who say the agency is overstepping its authority with onerous regulatory reviews on pesticides. The Biden administration has taken a more aggressive approach to regulating pesticides that could have harmful effects on human and ecosystem health. The group of Republicans slammed Regan’s handling of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, a 1947 law that regulates the registration, sale and distribution of pesticides. They said Regan’s EPA has “weaponized the FIFRA registration review against American farmers to placate a ‘cancel culture’ of pesticides and curry favor with extremist groups,” which has choked the toolbox of farmers and their production capacity. The group requested a hearing with Regan before Sept. 30, after the August recess. Scott’s office did not respond to a request for comment on whether or not he is considering a hearing. |