(NAFB.com) – The Environmental Protection Agency released its draft Insecticide Strategy. It’s part of an effort to adopt early, practical protections for federally endangered and threatened species. “Ensuring the safe use of insecticides is a critical part of the EPA’s mission to protect endangered species and the environment,” says Jake Li of the EPA. “We’re making a significant effort to protect endangered species, support farmers and other insecticide users, and provide critical environmental protections for communities across the country,” Li says. The draft strategy identifies protections that the EPA will consider when registering a new insecticide or reevaluating an existing one. EPA identified protections to address potential impacts for more than 850 species listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The draft identifies protections earlier in the pesticide review process, thus creating a far more efficient approach to evaluate and protect the species that live near the agricultural areas using insecticides.