CLA Looks to EPA Administrator Pruitt to Increase Transparency, Predictablity

Source: CropLife America

The U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Administrator Pruitt has a long career serving the people of Oklahoma, most recently as its attorney general. He was also elected to the Oklahoma Senate from 1998 until 2006. In January, CropLife America (CLA) signed a letter of support for the President’s nomination of Pruitt to lead the EPA. With Pruitt at the helm of the Agency, the association is hopeful that EPA will be responsive to the concerns of the crop protection industry and guide the Agency to a more transparent and predictable pesticide registration process.  

“EPA needs an effective leader, un-swayed by the whims of unscientific fear campaigns,” stated Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CLA. “Through his service to the great state of Oklahoma, Administrator Pruitt has shown that he carefully listens to the needs of agriculture and other constituents and works to get policy outcomes that adhere to science and law. We are eager to share our priority issues with the new leadership at EPA, including the need for rigor in examining studies used in human health risk assessments. After Sonny Perdue is confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture, we can all focus on getting farmers the finest technology that science can bring.”

“The scientific community looks to government leaders to place facts over opinions and carefully consider existing data,” stated Dr. Janet E. Collins, executive vice president of science and regulatory affairs at CLA. “We are confident that Administrator Pruitt will not only keep an open mind regarding the advancement of farming but will support the technologies that continue to move American farming forward. Our industry looks to the new EPA leadership to ensure that the Agency uses only the best available science in the regulation of crop protection products. The protection of the environment, the health of our families and the strength of U.S. farming depend on it.”