EPA Extends Comment Period for Neonicotinoid Risk Assessments

For Release: February 15, 2018

At the request of stakeholders, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment period for recently released neonicotinoid insecticide risk assessments from February 20, 2018, to April 21, 2018. The Agency published preliminary ecological and human health risk assessments in December 2017 for the neonicotinoid insecticides, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran, and a preliminary ecological risk assessment for imidacloprid (assessing risks to birds, mammals, non-target insects, and plants). In December 2017, the Agency also published new cotton and citrus benefits assessments for foliar applications of the neonicotinoids, as well as a response to public comments on the 2014 Benefits of Neonicotinoid Seed Treatment to Soybean Production

EPA encourages stakeholders and interested members of the public to comment on these assessments in the dockets linked below. EPA may revise the assessments based on information and comments received. The Agency plans to release the final pollinator risk assessments for these chemicals in mid-2018.

Imidacloprid registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0844
Clothianidin registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0865
Thiamethoxam registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0581
Dinotefuran registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0920

We also encourage you to sign up for email alerts from the dockets to be automatically notified when the Agency publishes the next documents for review and comment.