[JURIST] The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] on Thursday blocked [opinion, PDF] the use of a pesticide linked to the declining honey population in the US. The disappearance of a large number of honey bees in recent years has led the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [official website] to suggest a rule [AP report] in May to create pesticide-free zones at specific times of the year. Judge Mary Schroeder found in this case that the EPA had failed to adequately test the toxicity of the pesticide sulfoxaflor before approving its use. A spokesperson for the EPA said [AP report] it will review the decision.

The EPA has been involved in many high profile cases and issues over the past year. In June the US Supreme Court limited the power [JURIST report] of the agency to regulate greenhouse gases while still leaving the agency free to do so in most cases. In August the EPA proposed new rules [JURIST report] to cut methane emissions by the oil and gas industry, as part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to taking action on climate change. Also in August the US District Court of the District of North Dakota granted a preliminary injunction [JURIST report] against a rule granting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction over small US waterways. In another recent case involving the CWA, two environmental groups filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] in December against the Environmental Protection Agency accusing the agency of failing to comply with a court order to strengthen storm drain pollution regulation.