SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced March 6 that he has issued a statement following a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to allow California to intervene in a federal lawsuit involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to Becerra, the EPA failed in its duty to make a required safety finding for chlorpyrifos. The case currently under way is League of United Latin American Citizens, et al. v. Pruitt.
“EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is not above the law. He has a legal responsibility to make a safety finding for chlorpyrifos. He must be held accountable,” Becerra said in the statement. “California’s voice will be heard in this important lawsuit. The stakes are high for our state and states across our country.”
Chlorpyrifos, a pesticide used in food production, can be harmful to humans, particularly children. Becerra’s office notes that many of the food crops sprayed with chlorpyrifos are later eaten by infants and children.
In 2015, the EPA proposed a rule to ban chlorpyrifos because of safety concerns. In March 2017, however, Pruitt ended the rulemaking process.