Several environmental and farmer advocacy groups are asking a federal court to strike down the use of a controversial crop-damaging pesticide known as dicamba.
Conservationists claim the herbicide is especially harmful to New Mexico鈥檚 trees, endangered wildlife, and land.
Dicamba is widely used in New Mexico for and to protect .
Though, the pesticide isn鈥檛 without controversy.
In June 2020, a court found the Environmental Protection Agency鈥檚 approval of dicamba . It found the agency had dismissed reports that the harm the chemical could cause had been underestimated.
The EPA then a few months later, putting further on the chemical鈥檚 use.
Now, several advocacy groups are , saying the re-approval was against the law. Meredith Stevenson is with the Center for Food Safety 鈥撯�� one of the plaintiffs.
鈥淲hen it鈥檚 warm or when there鈥檚 a certain wind speed, dicamba can become this cloud of vapor,鈥� Stevenson said. 鈥淎nd, as it drifts, it kills everything in its wake.. It kills specialty crops, all types of species of trees.鈥�
Stevenson said the impact goes well beyond the environment.
鈥淭here was even a ,鈥� said Stevenson. 鈥淔armers just fighting with their neighbors, because their neighbors would spray one day and, the next, their crops are destroyed."
Since its approval in 2016, dicamba use , followed by reports of toxic drift in 29 states.
Because of delays, the case is expected to take years to reach a final verdict.
