On May 24, 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report detailing political interference in the scientific analysis performed during a 2018 review of the pesticide dicamba. The Hill reported that senior EPA officials directed scientists in the Office of Pesticide Programs to diverge from standard practices when reviewing the safety of the pesticide. For example, one scientist alleged that officials ordered scientists to use company data (rather than EPA data) to analyze potential for crop damage from dicamba’s use. Another scientist said that officials decided to use plant height as the metric to judge dicamba’s impact on plant health, despite industry and academic standards requiring consideration of visual signs of plant injury.
Erik Baptist, who led EPA's chemicals office during the 2018 review, told The Hill that officials involved themselves in the re-approval process because of its potential to have a “significant national impact.” Baptist also told The Hill that the OIG report contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not articulate any violations of EPA scientific integrity policy.