Nonprofit alleges agency failed to protect endangered
species
Earlier this week the Center for Biological Diversity filed a
lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for
violating the Endangered Species Act by registering and allowing
the use of 60 toxic pesticides in habitats for nearly a dozen San
Francisco Bay Area endangered species
– two of which are found in San Benito County, the California
tiger salamander and the red-legged frog – without determining
whether the chemical jeopardizes their existence.
Nonprofit alleges agency failed to protect endangered species
Earlier this week the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for violating the Endangered Species Act by registering and allowing the use of 60 toxic pesticides in habitats for nearly a dozen San Francisco Bay Area endangered species – two of which are found in San Benito County, the California tiger salamander and the red-legged frog – without determining whether the chemical jeopardizes their existence.
What this means for San Benito County is that developers could have problems getting building permits in areas protected under the endangered species act.
May 27 would have been the centennial birthday of Rachel Carson, whose pioneering 1962 book, “Silent Spring,” raised awareness about the deadly impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health and led to a federal review of pesticide policy and an eventual ban on DDT in the United States.
“Ending the use of known poisons in habitat for our most endangered wildlife is an appropriate 100th birthday tribute to Rachel Carson, who alerted us to the hazards of exposure to toxic chemicals almost half a century ago,” said Jeff Miller, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Unfortunately the EPA has not learned from her legacy and still has no plan to adequately assess impacts while registering and approving pesticide uses that pose a clear and present danger both to imperiled species and human health.”
At least 61 million pounds of pesticide active ingredients were applied in Bay Area counties from 1999 through 2005 – more than 8.5 million pounds annually. However, it is believed that actual pesticide use may have been several times this amount since most home and commercial pesticide use is not reported to the state, Miller said.
Under the Bush administration, the EPA has consistently failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on endangered species impacts when registering and authorizing use of toxic pesticides, Miller said.
Studies by the Fish and Wildlife Service, EPA, U.S. Geological Survey and California Department of Pesticide Regulation show that at least 60 pesticides of concern are used or accumulate in or adjacent to (upstream or upwind) habitat for 11 Bay Area endangered species.
Those species include the Bay and Delta aquatic habitat for the critically endangered delta smelt and the tidewater goby; the tidal marshland habitat for the California clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse; freshwater and wetlands habitat for the California tiger salamander – which is found in San Benito County – the San Francisco garter snake and California freshwater shrimp; and terrestrial habitat for the San Joaquin kit fox, Alameda whip snake, valley elderberry longhorn beetle and bay checkerspot butterfly. The red-legged frog is also one of those species that is both threatened and native to San Benito County.
Numerous studies have definitively linked pesticides with significant developmental, neurological and reproductive damage to amphibians. Pesticide contamination can cause deformities, abnormal immune system functions, diseases, injury and death of frogs and salamanders, according to Miller.
Studies by Dr. Tyrone Hayes at the University of California have strengthened the case for banning atrazine, a potent chemical that is the most common contaminant of ground, surface, and drinking water nationwide. Dr. Hayes demonstrated that atrazine is an endocrine disruptor that “assaults male sexual development,” interfering with reproduction by chemically castrating and feminizing male frogs.
Atrazine has also been linked to increased prostate cancer, decreased sperm count and high risk of breast cancer in humans. Thousands of pounds of atrazine are used each year in the Bay Area in close proximity to habitat for the red-legged frog and tiger salamander.
