New York S 9094: Prohibits the use of the pesticide paraquat

Bill Text

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S09094 Summary:

BILL NOS09094A

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SAME ASSAME AS A10074-A

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SPONSORHARCKHAM

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COSPNSRBYNOE, CLEARE, GONZALEZ, KAVANAGH, KRUEGER, SALAZAR

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MLTSPNSR

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Amd §33-1301, En Con L

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Prohibits the distribution, sale, offer for sale, and use of any pesticide product containing paraquat dichloride or any other chemical form of paraquat.

Go to top S09094 Actions:

BILL NOS09094A

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02/03/2026REFERRED TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

04/20/2026AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

04/20/2026PRINT NUMBER 9094A

Go to topS09094 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09094 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS09094 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9094--A

 IN SENATE

 February 3, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, BYNOE, GONZALEZ, KRUEGER -- read twice and
 ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
 Environmental Conservation -- committee discharged, bill amended,
 ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
 prohibiting the use of the pesticide paraquat

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. 1. Paraquat or paraquat dichloride is
 2 a synthetic, nonselective contact herbicide that is a member of the
 3 bipyridylium chemical family and that kills all vegetation that it
 4 touches.
 5 2. Paraquat was first registered in the United States in 1964, and in
 6 1978, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified all
 7 paraquat products as restricted use pesticides because of paraquat's
 8 high acute toxicity and potential for poisoning.
 9 3. Paraquat has been classified as a restricted use pesticide, and 24
 10 currently registered pesticide products approved for use in the United
 11 States contain paraquat.
 12 4. The Pesticide Action Network's 2024 Consolidated List of Banned
 13 Pesticides identifies 72 countries as banning the use of paraquat,
 14 including Brazil, China, Iraq, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Peru, Saudi
 15 Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
 16 5. The European Union banned paraquat in 2007 after a court determined
 17 that the relevant regulatory body had failed to apply proper procedures
 18 for evaluation of the herbicide and that the regulatory body was not
 19 properly thorough in its assessments of paraquat's effects on human and
 20 animal health.
 21 6. As of January 9, 2026, there were no products registered for use in
 22 Canada that contain paraquat.
 23 7. Multiple studies have demonstrated that paraquat exposure substan-
 24 tially increases the risk of Parkinson's disease in those exposed to the
 25 herbicide.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD14468-04-6

 S. 9094--A 2

 1 8. Other studies suggest a possible link with exposure to paraquat to
 2 increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, renal cancer, thyroid cancer,
 3 and childhood leukemia.
 4 9. In 2021, as part of a product registration review of paraquat
 5 required under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
 6 (FIFRA), the EPA issued an interim decision approving the continued
 7 registration of paraquat for use in the United States, despite multiple
 8 public comments objecting to approval and significant scientific
 9 evidence regarding the potential health effects of paraquat exposure.
 10 10. Multiple parties subsequently petitioned for judicial review of
 11 the EPA's interim decision authorizing the continued registration and
 12 use of paraquat. In particular, the challenging parties contested the
 13 EPA's assessment of the increased risk of Parkinson's disease due to
 14 exposure to paraquat from volatilization during use.
 15 11. In January 2025, after a motion from the EPA, a court placed that
 16 case in abeyance so that the EPA may reconsider its initial conclusion
 17 concerning the potential for paraquat to volatilize and to determine
 18 whether paraquat continues to meet FIFRA's registration standard.
 19 12. The EPA's reevaluation of the risks of para