EPA won't ban lead in fishing tackle
U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH) says he is very pleased
the EPA will not try to ban lead from tackle and sinkers used by
the nation's 60 million recreational anglers.
The EPA has announced it has rejected a petition filed by
environmental groups seeking to ban the manufacturing, processing
and distribution of lead in sinkers and tackle. The same
group wanted the EPA to ban lead in ammunition, but the federal
agency has no jurisdiction over the matter.
LaTourette, a member of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus,
had asked the EPA to dismiss the petition regarding fishing tackle,
saying it would harm recreational fishing and its $125 billion
annual impact on the economy.
"Finally, an end to this nonsense," LaTourette said. "New
regulations would have been costly and impossible to enforce.
I think Americans want the federal government to focus on urgent
matters, and hiring tackle box inspectors is not a priority."
In dismissing the environmental groups' petition, the EPA noted
they did not demonstrate that the "requested rule is necessary to
protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the
environment, as required by the Toxic Substances Control Act
(TSCA)." The ban was sought by the Center for Biological
Diversity and four other organizations to protect birds that might
ingest lead sinkers.
LaTourette said the Ohio's Department of Natural Resources cited
the economic impact of fishing in Ohio in a July 2010 press
release, noting that "Ohio's 1.1 million anglers spend an estimated
$1.1 billion on fishing-related expenditures annually….and their
expenditures spur a $480 million sport fishing industry along Lake
Erie and create nearly 10,000 jobs." LaTourette's district
includes more Lake Erie shoreline than any other in Ohio.