The Kansas secretary of agriculture and attorney general have asked the Environmental Protection Agency not to regulate the herbicide atrazine to the point it becomes ineffective or uneconomical for Kansas farmers.

In comments filed with EPA in connection with that agency’s proposed new regulation for atrazine and related herbicides, Secretary Jackie McClaskey and Attorney General Derek Schmidt urged the agency not to adopt a regulation that would render atrazine effectively unavailable for Kansas farmers.

“Any decision by EPA to restrict or eliminate the availability of the subject herbicides, particularly the availability of atrazine, would directly and negatively affect thousands of Kansas farmers by increasing the costs of production, reducing yield, and harming profitability while producing no meaningful environmental benefit,” the two wrote. “Please carefully consider a broader perspective and long-term approach when handling this issue. The proposal is inconsistent with EPA’s previous stated environmental concerns, is in conflict with proven evidence, and is detrimental to agriculture conservation practices.”

McClaskey and Schmidt pointed out that new regulations that result in atrazine being ineffective or unavailable would undermine efforts to promote soil conservation through reduced tillage practices.

The full comment letter is available at agriculture.ks.gov/letter-to-epa.