Revoking Chlorpyrifos & Pumping Your Own

Revoking Chlorpyrifos & Pumping Your Own. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

Ag producers who use insecticide products like Lorsban, Cobalt and Vulcan may be in for a surprise as the EPA has announced a proposal to revoke US crop tolerances for the insecticide chlorpyrifos which is a key ingredient in the mentioned products. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently made a decision which ordered EPA to respond to allegations about chlorpyrifos in a 2007 activist petition. EPA has not even finished evaluating the product for health and safety concerns. Ag groups are asking for input on the issue and hope to keep EPA from acting on this issue.

Do you remember full service gas stations? A service attendant would fill your tank, check your oil and clean your windshield. That began to change when self-service stations came into being. Many years ago when I moved to the northwest I was amazed to find that Oregon still did at least the filling your tank bit. It was always a bit of a shock to get out of the car and be greeted by the attendant. Well that may be changing as well. A new law affecting counties with a population less than 40,000 people took effect today that will now allow you to pump your own gasoline. The goal is to make gas accessible overnight in counties where stations can't afford to support 24-hour staffing. There is some concern that it might cause the loss of some jobs but we'll have to see how that plays out.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.