The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is implementing changes to pesticide labels across the United States to safeguard endangered and threatened species. This initiative is driven by concerns over the impact of pesticides on these species and is part of the ongoing efforts to comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973. The ESA aims to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats both domestically and abroad. An endangered species is one that is at risk of extinction, while a threatened species is likely to become endangered in the near future. The ESA mandates that listing decisions be based solely on scientific and commercial data, excluding economic factors.
Michigan, for instance, currently has 26 known endangered or threatened species. The EPA plays a crucial role in enforcing the ESA by ensuring that pesticide use does not endanger listed species or harm their critical habitats. If the EPA determines that a pesticide may impact listed species, it consults with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service to identify potential negative impacts and propose mitigation measures. These measures may lead to additional blanket pesticide use limitations, which are typically included in the “Directions for use” or “Environmental hazards” section of the pesticide label.
However, to avoid overly broad restrictions, the EPA has developed an online system called Bulletins Live! Two. This system determines whether additional pesticide use limitations are necessary to protect listed species or critical habitats based on specific application parameters, including site location, pesticide product, and application month. The system generates bulletins that define pesticide use limitation areas (PULA) and provides applicators with the necessary information to comply with these limitations.
Not all pesticide products are affected by the Bulletins Live! Two system. Currently, a limited number of herbicides and insecticides are impacted, with their labels directing users to the Bulletins Live! Two (BLT) webpage to check for additional limitations. Applicators are required to follow the pesticide use limitations specified on both the label and the BLT-generated bulletin. Compliance is the responsibility of the applicator.
To generate a bulletin, applicators need the following information: the location (which can be entered manually or as an address or coordinates), the application month and year, and the product EPA registration number (found on the pesticide label). The bulletin provides a map of the location, the application timing, and the product, and outlines any additional pesticide use limitations. Applicators can check the BLT system up to six months in advance of an application. They are encouraged to carefully review the labels of products they plan to use and to print or save the bulletin for their records, even if no additional limitations apply.
As of April 2025, fewer than 15 products have use limitations in Michigan, although many more labels require growers to check the BLT website. This may be because the EPA has not yet determined if additional limitations are needed or because there are no geographically specific limitations based on the use pattern. In some cases, applicators may still use a product with additional limitations if they follow specific runoff and drift mitigation practices. Complete prohibition of pesticide use is rare.
Compliance with all label directives, including using Bulletins Live! Two, is mandatory and the responsibility of the applicator. Applicators should carefully review product labels before purchase to understand any use limitations. Currently, most impacted labels are for agricultural herbicides and insecticides, but additional products, including fungicides, are expected to be added in the future. As Bulletins Live! Two continues to expand its database, applicators must remain vigilant in checking product labels for any new directives.
