EPA approves GMO herbicide use in nine more states, bringing total approved states to 15

The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday gave approval for the use of Dow AgroSciences herbicide Enlist Duo in nine states. This brings the total to 15 states that can use the herbicide with new genetically modified corn and soybeans that are altered to tolerate being sprayed with it, Carey Gilliam reports for Reuters. Critics have said the approval violates environmental law and will negatively affect plants and animals, and "a coalition of U.S. farmer and environmental groups filed a lawsuit in October seeking to overturn the EPA's approval of Enlist Duo, claiming the EPA did not adequately analyze the impact of 2,4-D."

The nine states—Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and Oklahoma—join the six states that were approved for use in October 2014, Gilliam writes. The other six states are: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. (Read more)