In this Nov. 19, 2019 file photo, New York State Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference at her office in New York. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
(CN) New York officials announced Friday they are leading a coalition of five states in a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming the agency illegally weakened protections for farmers from pesticides.
“Pesticides are often essential to the preservation of agriculture, but they’re also extremely dangerous to the health of farming communities,” New York Attorney General James said in a press release. “Trump’s EPA knowingly increased the risk that farmworkers, their families, and others will be exposed to these dangerous chemicals.”