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EPA denies petition on lead fishing gear

Fri, 11/05/2010 - 08:12 by harsheeb

Washington -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has denied a petition calling for a ban on the manufacture, use and processing of lead in fishing gear, officials said.

The petitioners had not demonstrated the requested rule was needed to protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, as required by the Toxic Substances Control Act, an EPA release said Thursday.

The American Bird Conservancy and a number of other groups petitioned the EPA in August under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act to "prohibit the manufacture, processing, and distribution in commerce of lead for shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers."

The EPA said the increasing number of limitations on the use of lead fishing gear on some federal and state lands, as well as various education and outreach activities, made an outright ban unnecessary.

The agency also cited the increasing availability of non-lead
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