{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://comer.house.gov/2022/11/top-republicans-probe-epa-sidelining-top-scientists-to-ban-chlorpyrifos-on-food-products", "Top Republicans Probe EPA Sidelining Top Scientists to Ban Chlorpyrifos on Food Products", "2022-11-04", "2022", "2022-11", "Republican", "House", "KY", "James Comer", "C001108", "comer.house.gov", "comer", "https://comer.house.gov/media", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\n\u201cWe are conducting oversight of the U.S Department of Agriculture\u2019s role in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s August 18, 2021, final rule revoking all tolerances for chlorpyrifos on food products,\u201d wrote the Republican lawmakers. \u201cThe EPA\u2019s controversial decision to revoke all tolerances for chlorpyrifos on food products has left distributors and growers in a precarious financial position which would normally prompt interagency review for a regulation costing over $100 million dollars. However, EPA has refused to label the revocation as an economically significant regulation, making the final rule exempt from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)\u2019s interagency review. By EPA\u2019s own estimates, the economic value of chlorpyrifos to the U.S. economy reaches over $130 million annually, and public comments suggest the number is even higher when taking into account growers without alternative options.\u201d\n\nOn September 20, 2022, USDA Secretary Thomas Vilsack broke with the EPA\u2019s controversial decision to ban chlorpyrifos. In a response provided to Congress, Secretary Vilsack stated that the USDA-Pest Management scientists believe EPA could retain certain chlorpyrifos uses that meet EPA\u2019s safety standards. Secretary Vilsack\u2019s response to lawmakers raise questions about the EPA\u2019s commitment to use the best science in its regulatory decisions.\n\n\u201cDue to the cost of this rule, over 30 subsets of the U.S. agricultural industry, including retailers, applicators, manufacturers, processors, cooperatives, and crop consultants, have raised serious economic hardship concerns with the EPA regarding this action,\u201d continued the Republican lawmakers. \u201cIn addition, OMB guidance has been clear to direct the EPA to seek interagency review when EPA actions make pesticide tolerances \u2018more stringent.\u2019 Because of the economic hardship and supply chain impacts associated with EPA\u2019s final rule, the tolerance revocation should be labeled as a \u201cmore stringent\u201d regulation requiring the EPA to seek interagency review. Ignoring OMB guidance and the economic impact of such a sweeping and costly regulation indicates interagency review was warranted prior to the final rule. Republicans are concerned about the validity of EPA\u2019s scientific and regulatory process.\u201d\n\nRead the letter to the USDA here.\n\nRead the letter to the EPA here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:24:37Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://comer.house.gov/2022/11/top-republicans-probe-epa-sidelining-top-scientists-to-ban-chlorpyrifos-on-food-products"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.4393561761826277, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}