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PHOTOS: Administrator Pruitt Visits Mississippi

Announces Regulatory Action on Pesticide Dicamba

10/12/2017
Contact Information: 
EPA Press Office (press@epa.gov)

PHOTOS

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt standing with Mississippi Governor Phil BryantEPA Administrator Scott Pruitt with Mississippi Governor Phil BryantEPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant stand under trees greeting stakeholders at Gaddis FarmsEPA Administrator Scott Pruitt (second from right) and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (right) greet stakeholders at Gaddis Farms in Bolton, Miss.EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt shakes hands with Ted Kendall, owner of Gaddis Farms, under a tree near a lakeEPA Administrator Scott Pruitt greets Ted Kendall, owner of Gaddis Farms.Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt speak with Ted KendallMississippi Governor Phil Bryant and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt speak with Ted Kendall. 

Jackson, Miss.  – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt met with Governor Phil Bryant, farmers and other state leaders to discuss ways to strengthen partnerships with EPA.  During the visit, Administrator Pruitt announced that EPA is working on an agreement with the manufacturers of the pesticide dicamba to minimize the potential for drift to damage neighboring crops from the use of the pesticide – an agreement that will allow cotton and soybean farmers to make informed choices for seed purchases for the 2018 growing season.

“Our job at EPA is not to look at folks in Mississippi as adversaries, but as partners,” said Administrator Pruitt. “It is of the utmost importance to continue to collaborate with state and local leaders to provide American farmers and ranchers the regulatory certainty they deserve.”

“Mississippi farmers are the original conservationists,” said Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. “I am grateful for Administrator Pruitt’s commitment to working with us to develop strategies that will strengthen agriculture in Mississippi while protecting our environment.”

Administrator Pruitt began his trip with a stop at the State Capitol where he met with Governor Bryant and other state leaders.  Following their meeting, Administrator Pruitt and Governor Bryant hosted a roundtable along with Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick, and other stakeholders to discuss EPA’s recent proposal to rescind the 2015 “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule to help ensure regulatory certainty and prioritize keeping America’s water clean. 

After the roundtable, Administrator Pruitt and Governor Bryant departed for Gaddis Farms in Bolton where the Administrator announced EPA’s regulatory action on dicamba and took questions from farmers.