USU Weed Scientist Tapped for New Environmental Advising Post

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon have a new resource to draw from when making decisions about herbicide regulations — Utah State University professor Steve Dewey.

Beginning in June, Dewey will fill a first-of-its-kind appointment as a liaison between the EPA’s Herbicide Registration Division and the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA). Dewey describes his job as the first weed science subject matter expert as being part scientist and part matchmaker.

 

“I’ll be matching up technical questions from the EPA with members of WSSA who are most likely to have the answers,” Dewey said. “I’ll serve as an information source or a conduit between EPA scientists and policy makers and the expertise of WSSA scientists and on-the-ground practitioners on matters related to weed management and herbicide regulation.”

 

Weed control becomes extra challenging at the national level because the list of plants that are considered “noxious weeds” changes from state to state. Plants that are invasive, crowd out other plant species and damage the environment are weeds, but a single species of plant may have different growth habits depending on where it’s growing.

 

Writer: Lynnette Harris, 435-797-2189, lynnette@agx.usu.edu