From yesterday’s Los Angeles Times, "Regulators to Let Maker Test Chemical Levels":

The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture announced an unprecedented plan Friday to entrust testing for water pollution from atrazine, one of the most heavily used weedkillers in the country, to the chemical's manufacturer.

The EPA called the plan for monitoring by Syngenta Crop Protection "an innovative protective approach." Syngenta, based in Greensboro, N.C., is a subsidiary of the Swiss agribusiness Syngenta.

[. . .]

The European Union recently announced a ban on use of atrazine. Syngenta plans to replace the chemical in Europe with an alternative, terbuthylazine. However, the company has not sought permission to market the chemical in the U.S., said Syngenta spokeswoman Sherry Ford. "It did not work as well on U.S. weeds," she said.

Analysts estimate that Syngenta supplies 98% of the estimated 75 million pounds of atrazine applied to U.S. fields every year. The new Syngenta monitoring program will start in March by looking at 20 waterways in 10 states: Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, Tennessee and Louisiana.

Ford called the transformation from pesticide manufacturer to environmental monitor part of a new era of stewardship. "This is one way we can ensure it's not presenting any risk to the environment," she said.

Olson said NRDC sees the plan as an abandonment of government responsibility under the Clean Water Act.

"They're going to require Syngenta to monitor 3% of the 1172 highest-risk watersheds, 20 to begin with, then 40 in 2005," Olson said. "Ninety-seven percent of the highest-risk watersheds will not be required to be monitored. It's insane."

Sorry, did we just call it the "Environmental Pardon Agency"? We meant the Embarrassingly Pointless Agency.