On May 12th, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) held a hearing on the nominations of Shannon Estenoz to be Assistant Secretary of Fish and Wildlife and Parks of the Department of Interior, Radhika Fox to be Assistant Administrator for Water of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Michal Freedhoff to be Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention of the Environmental Protection Agency. During the hearing, the nominees were asked several questions related to the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and the Endangered Species Act. Several Senators submitted additional questions in writing to Dr. Freedhoff stressing the importance of FIFRA and EPA’s risk-based pesticide registration process. They also discussed the role of pesticides in protecting public health and the importance of integrated pest management. During the hearing and in the written questions, Dr. Freedhoff stressed the need for regulatory decisions to be based on science. She also committed to stakeholder engagement with the agency. We expect the EPW Committee to soon approve the nominations of Freedhoff, Fox, and Estenoz. A full Senate vote to confirm them is expected to follow soon after the committee vote. NALP has requested a meeting with Ms. Freedhoff to discuss the landscape industry use patterns of pesticides and the benefits of healthy green spaces.
