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EPA Administrator working to streamline registrations

The EPA Administrator says his agency is working to make registrations of new herbicides and insecticides more streamlined.

Scott Pruitt says when he came into office there was a backlog of more than 1,000 chemicals waiting to be approved by the chemical office before they could be marketed.  “That backlog is already down to about 500,” he says.  “I made it a priority coming in – that we need to get that we needed to get the backlog cleaned out and then make sure we have certain timelines to get certainty out in the marketplace.”

Some members of the ag industry worry delays in the introduction of new technologies, that could provide benefit to farmers will be costly down the road.

Pruitt says the agency has allocated additional resources to help facilitate the approval process.

However, President Trump’s proposed budget includes a 31 percent cut to EPA funding and would eliminate 3,200 jobs.