The evaluation will document the steps EPA is taking to prevent herbicide resistance, how EPA assesses the health and environmental impact of herbicides designed to combat herbicide-resistant weeds and how EPA is monitoring the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Weeds resistant to the herbicide glyphosate are a growing concern for US farmers, so much so that new multi-herbicide weed-killers, like Dow Chemical Co.’s Enlist Duo, are being actively developed.
The Inspector General is also examining the use of structural fumigants and how EPA determines the efficacy of antimicrobial pesticides. EPA efforts to maintain the herbicide-resistance of genetically modified corn are also being studied and a final report on that specific issue is expected to be released by mid-summer.