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Officials emphasize NEPA, ESA reviews and on‑the‑ground monitoring for spraying
Summary
USDA APHIS and state staff described required National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act consultations, environmental assessments and in‑field monitoring (deposition cards, drift checks) to limit non‑target effects.
Jordan Jostowski, representing USDA APHIS, summarized federal program safeguards and environmental review steps required before treatments can proceed.
"We get our authority... from the Plant Protection Act of 2000," Jostowski said, and he emphasized that NEPA (an Environmental Impact Statement started in 2019) and ESA consultations are prerequisites for program operations across the program’s 17 states. He said program EAs and the nationwide EIS have faced litigation and that state‑specific environmental information is being added to the documentation.
Jostowski explained in‑field monitoring during aerial applictions: pilots’ downloads record exact spray lines, program staff place deposition cards and drift monitors in and around blocks, and formulation and deposition samples are taken to check application rates and drift. He noted that water, vegetation or soil sampling is performed only in extreme cases but that documented spills have occurred and must be reported.
