Pesticides: Reregistration Delays Jeopardize Success of Proposed Policy Reforms

GAO discussed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) reregistration of pesticides, focusing on the administration's proposal for reforming pesticide and food safety regulations. GAO noted that: (1) EPA estimates that it will not complete pesticide reregistration until 2006; (2) EPA has only reregistered 250 of the 20,000 pesticides currently registered; (3) most of the reregistered pesticides' active ingredients are not high-priority food-use pesticides; (4) EPA failure to consider the complexity and magnitude of reregistration and the resources needed for the task has delayed the process; (5) 45 percent of the studies submitted to support reregistration have been unacceptable; (6) EPA will not be able to review all existing pesticide tolerances within 7 years; (7) the proposed reforms provide a sunset provision on pesticide registrations and strengthen regulatory agencies' ability to enforce pesticide regulations; (8) EPA has not included all costs in its estimate of the additional funds needed to complete reregistration; (9) EPA is 4 years behind schedule for reregistering lawn care pesticides; and (10) the safety of lawn care pesticides may be uncertain even after reregistration, since EPA has not developed guidelines on their post-application effects on human health.