BLM Seeks Public Comments on Use of Three New Herbicides

To expand its existing list of approved herbicide active ingredients (herbicides) to treat noxious weeds and other invasive species on Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-managed public lands, the BLM today notified the public of the availability of a draft Vegetation Treatments Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The draft Programmatic (region-wide) EIS evaluates the use of three new herbicides to treat vegetation on public lands in 17 Western states. The new herbicides evaluated in the Programmatic EIS are aminopyralid (known by the trade name Milestone), fluroxypyr (Vista), and rimsulfuron (Matrix). A notice of availability of the draft Programmatic EIS, published in today’s Federal Register by the Environmental Protection Agency, initiates a 45-day public comment period on the document.  The Draft Programmatic EIS provides full reviews and analyzes the environmental and human impacts of the three new herbicides, which would give public land managers greater flexibility in undertaking vegetation treatments in the field.  Milestone is primarily used to control knapweeds and thistles; Vista for prickly pear and perennial broad-leaf species; and Matrix for downy brome (cheatgrass) and medusahead rye.