Trump EPA May Threaten State and Local Bans of Toxic Weed Killer Glyphosate
February 12, 2025 | Source: EWG | by Al Rabine, Scott Faber
More than 40 local laws in place to protect communities from the toxic weedkiller glyphosate could be swept away if Republican state officials get their way. They’ve petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to “preempt,” or block, any such bans.
The petition, filed by GOP attorneys general from 11 states, broadly asks the agency to block any state and local pesticide laws. If the Trump EPA grants the request, it would prevent communities from not only banning or restricting glyphosate, an herbicide linked to cancer, but also tackling other potentially harmful pesticides.
These limits on the use of certain pesticides help to protect schoolchildren, farmworkers and people living near farms from the health threats of these toxic chemicals. Pesticides can drift through the air, exposing people to a greater risk of cancer or other harms.
Existing local pesticide laws from California to Connecticut, and any new bans, could be blocked if the EPA grants the petition. The agency is accepting public comments on the petition until February 20 and will decide after reviewing them.