Balancing Wildlife Protection and Responsible Pesticide Use — A Conversation with EPA’s Jake Li

This week, I sat down with Jake Li, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and my colleague, Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant here at B&C. My guests have much in common -- they both have served (or in Jake’s case is serving) in senior policy positions in this space at EPA, and they both have a keen understanding of the legal, policy, and commercial implications of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Enacted almost 50 years ago, the ESA is intended to preserve and protect imperiled species. As anyone in this space knows, implementing the ESA and balancing the need for pesticide use has proven to be a challenging issue for decades. Our conversation today covers what the Administration is doing to balance wildlife protection and responsible pesticide use, what the federal Interagency Working Group is doing in this regard, and consider how the ESA Workplan is helping EPA’s Pesticide Program meet its ESA obligations. ALL MATERIALS IN THIS PODCAST ARE PROVIDED SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL  AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. THE MATERIALS ARE NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE OR THE PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES. ALL LEGAL QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ANSWERED DIRECTLY BY A LICENSED ATTORNEY PRACTICING IN THE APPLICABLE AREA OF LAW. ©2022 Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.  All Rights Reserved