SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced June 14 that he has issued a following comment on the decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement safeguards for agricultural workers to protect them from harmful pesticides.
“EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has backed down to do what the law requires. Implement critical safeguards for agricultural workers. This is an important victory for some of America’s hardest workers and for the rule of law,” Becerra said in a statement. “Day in, day out, our families enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables because of our agricultural workers, many of whom are immigrants living in California.”
The EPA introduced the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) in 1992 to help agricultural workers avoid illnesses and injuries stemming from pesticides. In 2015 the EPA strengthened the rule to require companies to provide new training to workers on how to deal with pesticides.
The Trump administration, however, suspended these requirements. On May 30, Becerra and the attorneys general of New York and Maryland filed a lawsuit claiming the suspension was arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.