Save the pesticide tracking program that protects our health

About 1 billion pounds of pesticides are sprayed on crops in the U.S. every year — but the only program that collects nationwide data on where and how these pesticides are used is about to expire.

The National Pesticide Use Maps database is a critical tool for the federal government, scientists, and public health officials alike. If this tracking program is allowed to end, we will be left almost completely in the dark about how pesticides spread across the country.

Reliable, accurate data about pesticide use is critical to our nation’s health. I strongly urge the US Geological Survey (USGS) to maintain its pesticide use mapping project.