The EPA’s “Strategies” outline protective measures for pesticides that pose a risk to listed species and their designated critical habitats. The strategies have been/will be published as documents for each major pesticide category—herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides. They result from extensive stakeholder input and assessments contributed by various agricultural organizations, industry, and governmental agencies, and they aim to balance the use of pesticides with the need to protect endangered species and environmental health. The measures described in the Strategies should reduce population-level impacts on over 900 listed ESA species in the lower 48 states.
In August 2024, the EPA published the final Herbicide Strategy, and the final Insecticide Strategy was published in April 2025. The strategies themselves do not impose any requirements or restrictions on pesticide use; rather, they are a way for EPA to assess and reduce risk from agricultural pesticide use earlier in the registration process. The strategies indicate mitigations, such as runoff/erosion control and spray drift buffers, to be put into place prior to registration/reregistration of a pesticide active ingredient. These mitigations reduce the likelihood of harm to endangered species, and doing this earlier in the registration/registration process speeds up the consultation with the Services. Mitigations will vary based on the specific active ingredient, use site, and application method. Farmers and pesticide applicators must follow the protections printed on labels and bulletins located on the website Bulletins Live! Two.