Society
Science Policy
Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D.
Executive Director of Science Policy
Weed Science Society of America
5720 Glenmullen Pl,
Alexandria, VA 22303
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 202-746-4686
Updates & Recent Items
APHIS has an opportunity, through this Request for Information (RFI), to reaffirm and refine a risk-based approach to the regulation of GE organisms under the Plant Protection Act and Coordinated Framework.
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September 5, 2025
The Honorable Brooke Rollins
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington,
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WSSA joined 31 other national organizations urging HHS Sec. Kennedy, USDA Sec. Rollins and EPA Administrator Zeldin to seek public comment on the MAHA report set to be released by August 12.
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Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Thune, Leader Jeffries, and Leader Schumer,
We write to express our great concern with recent misinterpretations of long-standing policy regarding the regulation and labeling of pesticide products,
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Dear Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Rollins, and Administrator Zeldin,
As organizations representing millions of farmers, ranchers, food producers, and ingredient manufacturers,
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Dear Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Rollins, and Administrator Zeldin,
As organizations representing the food and agriculture community, we write to express our interest in working with you and the Make America Healthy Again Commission in advancing our shared goals of improving health outcomes for Americans while protecting our most vulnerable populations.
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Dear Secretary Rollins,
As representatives of the food and agriculture value chain, the undersigned organizations write to express our enthusiasm for working with you and other Trump administration leaders to ensure that America continues to have the safest,
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Dear President-elect Trump’s Transition Team,
As representatives of the food and agriculture value chain, the undersigned organizations
write to express our enthusiasm for working with you and upcoming administration leaders
to ensure that America continues to have the safest,
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October 14, 2024
Dear Chairwoman Stabenow, Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Boozman, and Ranking Member Scott,
In recent weeks,
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On July 22, 2024, the National and Regional Weed Science Societies were among 318 stakeholders who wrote a letter to EPA to share our concerns and seek a dialogue with EPA on ways to improve its process for assessing potential risks that pesticides may pose to endangered species and their critical habitats.
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Dear Administrator Li,
The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), along with the Aquatic Plant Management
Society (APMS), North Central Weed Science Society (NCWSS),
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Dear Misters Bongard and Savage,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (hereafter the EPA) White Paper Describing Benefits of Structured and Digital Content Labels for Pesticide Products (EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0562).
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The Weed Science Societies suggest nine additional ways to mitigate the impact of herbicides on listed species due to spray drift, which includes decreased buffers for ultra-coarse droplets,
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On August 6, 2023, the WSSA submitted comments (link here) on the U.S. EPA’s proposed Vulnerable Listed Species Pilot Project: Proposed Mitigations,
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The six national and regional weed science societies are signatories on the USDOT Invasive Plant Elimination Program Support Letter to Congress,
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On November 16, the EPA released an Updated ESA Workplan that provides more details about how EPA plans to impose various mitigation measures that will be required on pesticide labels to meet its ESA obligations when registering a pesticide.
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PRIA 5 Support Letter PRIA established a new section of FIFRA in 2004 that put in place pesticide registration service fees paid by registrants in exchange for specific time periods for EPA to make a regulatory decision on pesticide registrations and tolerance actions.
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The WSSA submitted comments on October 7, 2022 to the EPA’s proposed revisions on the atrazine interim decision. Many thanks to our members who offered comments and suggestions.
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Dear President Biden:
We write to express our grave concern with a recent change in long-standing policy regarding the regulation and labeling of pesticide products relied upon by farmers and other users.
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The WSSA sent a letter to Congressional leadership in support of the $7.75 billion for agricultural research in the Budget Reconciliation proposal.
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The six national and regional weed science societies joined over 35 other organizations in a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders with recommendations for FY 2022 invasive species management funding levels.
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The WSSA submitted both written and oral comments for a proposal about what technologies should be available to a “farm of the future”.
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The Weed Science Societies joined over 350 other national, regional, and state ag organizations and companies in a letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership to request their support for $11.5 billion in ag research infrastructure investments over five years.
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Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), reintroduced legislation, S. 1371, that would require a five percent annual funding increase each year for the next 10 years for research activities at USDA’s ARS,
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Presented on Feb. 26, 2021. The U.S. federal agencies responsible for invasive species management in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, in general, have sufficient legislative authority from Congress to manage invasive species.
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In early December, WSSA and APMS joined more than 170 other organizations and institutions across all disciplines and areas of science and research in a letter to congressional leadership,
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The National and Regional Weed Science Societies joined over 270 other national, regional and state organizations to urge Congress to provide $380 million to our agricultural research,
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The six National and Regional Weed Science Societies joined over 80 other organizations in supporting legislation introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (IL) that would authorize a 5% inflation-adjusted annual increase for the next 5 years for agricultural research at USDA-ARS,
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The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) wrote to USDA Sec. Perdue to express concerns our members have about the relocation of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) outside the National Capitol Region (NCR).
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The National and Regional Weed Science Societies joined over 30 other organizations in supporting the agricultural research provisions in the Senate Farm Bill.
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There is currently a push to get IR-4 funded at $19 million in FY 2019. Annual funding for IR-4 has been stagnating at around $11.9 million for nearly a decade.
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WSSA Sponsors Seminar on Capitol Hill by Dr. Steve Fennimore Titled “Robotic Weed Wars: A New Game, New Players and New Rules”.
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Read the recent publication produced by the National Research Council of the National Academies on a review of the USDA-AFRI program.
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Read the set of scientific issues being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency on human health and ecological risk assessment of the RNAi technology.
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Read the report to the president on ‘Agricultural Preparedness and the Agriculture Research Enterprise’ by President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
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On July 25 the Plant Science Research Summit released Unleashing a Decade of Innovation in Plant Science: A Vision for 2015-2025 (PDF),
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Over the last several decades, the U.S. agricultural sector has sustained impressive productivity growth. The Nation’s agricultural research system, including Federal-State public research as well as private-sector research,
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The WSSA sent a letter to Congressional leadership in support of the $7.75 billion for agricultural research in the Budget Reconciliation proposal.
… more
The six national and regional weed science societies joined over 35 other organizations in a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders with recommendations for FY 2022 invasive species management funding levels.
… more
The WSSA submitted both written and oral comments for a proposal about what technologies should be available to a “farm of the future”.
… more
The Weed Science Societies joined over 350 other national, regional, and state ag organizations and companies in a letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership to request their support for $11.5 billion in ag research infrastructure investments over five years.
… more
Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), reintroduced legislation, S. 1371, that would require a five percent annual funding increase each year for the next 10 years for research activities at USDA’s ARS,
… more
Presented on Feb. 26, 2021. The U.S. federal agencies responsible for invasive species management in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, in general, have sufficient legislative authority from Congress to manage invasive species.
… more
In early December, WSSA and APMS joined more than 170 other organizations and institutions across all disciplines and areas of science and research in a letter to congressional leadership,
… more
The National and Regional Weed Science Societies joined over 270 other national, regional and state organizations to urge Congress to provide $380 million to our agricultural research,
… more
The six National and Regional Weed Science Societies joined over 80 other organizations in supporting legislation introduced by Senator Dick Durbin (IL) that would authorize a 5% inflation-adjusted annual increase for the next 5 years for agricultural research at USDA-ARS,
… more
The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) wrote to USDA Sec. Perdue to express concerns our members have about the relocation of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) outside the National Capitol Region (NCR).
… more
The National and Regional Weed Science Societies joined over 30 other organizations in supporting the agricultural research provisions in the Senate Farm Bill.
… more
There is currently a push to get IR-4 funded at $19 million in FY 2019. Annual funding for IR-4 has been stagnating at around $11.9 million for nearly a decade.
… more
WSSA Sponsors Seminar on Capitol Hill by Dr. Steve Fennimore Titled “Robotic Weed Wars: A New Game, New Players and New Rules”.
… more
Read the recent publication produced by the National Research Council of the National Academies on a review of the USDA-AFRI program.
… more
Read the set of scientific issues being considered by the Environmental Protection Agency on human health and ecological risk assessment of the RNAi technology.
… more
Read the report to the president on ‘Agricultural Preparedness and the Agriculture Research Enterprise’ by President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
… more
On July 25 the Plant Science Research Summit released Unleashing a Decade of Innovation in Plant Science: A Vision for 2015-2025 (PDF),
… more
Over the last several decades, the U.S. agricultural sector has sustained impressive productivity growth. The Nation’s agricultural research system, including Federal-State public research as well as private-sector research,
… more
Following is an archive of historical research priorities identified by the Weed Science Society of America. This collection includes documents such as comments to USDA-AFRI, reports of NIFA stakeholder workshops, USDA-ARS 5-year plans, manuscripts, among others.
- EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING: USDA’s Decision to Relocate Research Agencies to Kansas City Was Not Fully Consistent with an Evidence-Based Approach
-GAO-22-104540, April 2022 - Agency Relocations: Following Leading Practices Will Better Position USDA to Mitigate the Ongoing Impacts on Its Workforce
–GAO-23-104709, April 2022 - Army Corps of Engineers: Better Data and Planning Needed to Combat Aquatic Invasive Species
– GAO-24-105960, November 2023 - Aquatic Invasive Species: Additional Steps Could Help Measure Federal Progress in Achieving Strategic Goals
–GAO-16-49, November 2015 - Two USDA Agencies Can Enhance Safeguards against Project Duplication and Strengthen Collaborative Planning
–GAO-13-255, Apr 12, 2013 - Scientific Integrity: EPA’s Efforts to Enhance the Credibility and Transparency of Its Scientific Processes
– GAO-09-444T, June, 2009
– Highlights - Wildland Fire Management: Actions by Federal Agencies and Congress Could Mitigate Rising Fire Costs and Their Effects on Other Agency Programs
– GAO-09-444T, April, 2009 - Endangered Species Act: Many GAO Recommendations Have Been Implemented, but Some Issues Remain Unresolved
– GAO-09-225R, December, 2008 - Federal Land Management: Use of Stewardship Contracting Is Increasing, but Agencies Could Benefit from Better Data and Contracting Strategies
– GAO-09-23, November, 2008
– Highlights - Genetically Engineered Crops: Agencies Are Proposing Changes to Improve Oversight, but Could Take Additional Steps to Enhance Coordination and Monitoring
– GAO-09-60, November, 2008
– Highlights - Natural Resource Management: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Federal Participation in Collaborative Efforts to Reduce Conflicts and Improve Natural Resource Conditions
– GAO-08-262, February, 2008
– Highlights - Invasive Species: Cooperation and Coordination Are Important for Effective Management of Invasive Weeds
– GAO-05-185, February, 2005
– Highlights - Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Program: Management Problems May Increase Vulnerability of U.S. Agriculture to Foreign Pests and Diseases
– GAO-08-96T, October, 2007
– Highlights - Agricultural Conservation: Farm Program Payments Are an Important Factor in Landowners’ Decisions to Convert Grassland to Cropland
– GAO-07-1054, September, 2007
– Highlights - Prairie Pothole Region: At the Current Pace of Acquisitions, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Is Unlikely to Achieve Its Habitat Protection Goals for Migratory Birds
– GAO-07-1093, September, 2007
– Highlights - Forest Service: Vegetation Management Projects Approved during Calendar Years 2003 through 2005 Using Categorical Exclusions
– GAO-07-1016T, June, 2007
– Highlights - Agricultural Conservation: USDA Should Improve Its Management of Key Conservation Programs to Ensure Payments Promote Environmental Goals
– GAO-07-370T, January 17, 2007
– Highlights - USDA Conservation Programs: Stakeholder Views on Participation and Coordination to Benefit Threatened and Endangered Species and Their Habitats
– GAO-07-35, November, 2006
– Highlights