A federal appeals court on Thursday overturned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of a controversial pesticide, saying the agency violated federal law by giving a green light without obtaining or reviewing reliable studies on the neonicotinoid’s impact on honeybees.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal’s ruling (pdf) in the case, which was brought by environmental law firm Earthjustice, means that the pesticide in question—a neonicotinoid known as sulfoxaflor—may not be used in the U.S. unless the EPA re-approves it after obtaining the necessary analysis of its effects on pollinators.