April 22, 2023 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Bureau of Land Management has published a draft programmatic environmental impact statement and is seeking public input on the analysis of seven herbicide active ingredients to control noxious weeds and invasive species on public lands. A notice of availability will publish tomorrow in the Federal Register to initiate a 45-day public review and comment period in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The BLM will host a virtual public meeting during the public comment period. Specific meeting and access information is provided on the BLM website at: https://go.usa.gov/xtk6a.

The BLM manages 245 million acres of public lands primarily in the western United States, including Alaska. Approximately one third of these lands, or 79 million acres, are impacted by noxious and invasive weeds. If not eradicated or controlled, these plants can jeopardize the health of public lands and constrain the myriad activities that occur on them.

“One of the BLM's highest priorities is to promote ecosystem health, and one of the greatest obstacles to achieving this goal is the rapid expansion of noxious and invasive weeds across public lands,” said Brian St George, acting BLM Assistant Director for Resources and Planning. “The BLM applies an integrated approach to vegetation management that may include wise and appropriate use of herbicides to manage weeds.”

Invasive plant communities can develop resistance to herbicide active ingredients over time; therefore, new active ingredients are often developed to overcome such resistance. Several ingredients have been developed and registered over the past several years that provide more effective and efficient tools than those that the BLM currently has approved for use. The BLM is considering adding these new ingredients, including Indaziflam, to its list of approved herbicide active ingredients for vegetation treatments.

More information regarding this effort and how to provide comments can be found at https://go.usa.gov/xtk6a.
Source: BLM