After giving the initial “OK,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now backtracking on its interim review decision to allow M-44 devices, also known as cyanide bombs.
“This issue warrants further analysis and additional discussions by EPA with the registrants of this predacide,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
The USDA is the leading registrant, along with five state departments of agriculture: Montana; New Mexico; South Dakota; Texas; and Wyoming, Wheeler said.
To recap, the EPA has undergone a review over the use of sodium cyanide in a spring-loaded ejector to control depredations on livestock or threatened species.
The reversal of the interim decision has come as a result of strong backlash from the public and environmental groups.
