EWG sues EPA over glyphosate inaction, citing children's health risks

The Environmental Working Group today filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming the Environmental Protection Agency is unlawfully delaying a response to the group’s petition seeking stricter limits in oats on the notorious herbicide glyphosate. The petition also asks for a ban on use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent. In its suit, EWG urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to compel the EPA to respond to the petition, which has languished at the agency for seven years.EWG argues the agency’s inaction violates federal law, which requires a timely response to petitions. The delay leaves millions of Americans – especially infants and young children – potentially exposed to unsafe levels of the weedkiller in many foods marketed to kids.“The EPA has a clear legal duty to act on this petition, and it has simply refused to do so,” said Caroline Leary, EWG’s general counsel and COO. “This kind of delay has real consequences for families who rely on the a