{"id":2035009,"date":"2023-09-16T22:43:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-17T02:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/berkey-water-filter-maker-sues-epa-over-claims-that-its-products-are-pesticides\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T22:49:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-17T02:49:16","slug":"berkey-water-filter-maker-sues-epa-over-claims-that-its-products-are-pesticides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/berkey-water-filter-maker-sues-epa-over-claims-that-its-products-are-pesticides\/","title":{"rendered":"Berkey Water Filter Maker sues EPA for labeling its products as &#8216;pesticides&#8217;."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fberkey-water-filter-maker-sues-epa-over-claims-that-its-products-are-pesticides%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2035009&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Berkey Water Filter Manufacturer Sues EPA Over False Claims<\/h2>\n<p>Berkey water filter manufacturer New Millennium Concepts is \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/n-m-widower-sues-alburquerque-over-sanctuary-city-policy\/\" title=\"N.M. widower sues Alburquerque over sanctuary city policy\">taking legal action<\/a> against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency \u200b(EPA)\u2062 for labeling its filters as &#8220;pesticides.&#8221; The EPA&#8217;s stop-sales order in\u200c May has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/like-a-nascar-pit-crew-authorities-bust-car-theft-ring-that-stole-catalytic-converters-in-less-than-a-minute\/\" title=\"\u2018Like A NASCAR Pit Crew\u2019: Authorities Bust Car Theft Ring That Stole Catalytic Converters In Less Than A Minute\">caused <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/target-loses-nearly-15b-in-market-value-amid-backlash-against-pride-merch\/\" title=\"Target's Market Value Drops by B Due to Backlash Against Pride Merch.\">significant financial losses<\/a><\/a> for the Texas-based company. In response, New Millennium Concepts has filed a lawsuit, arguing that the EPA&#8217;s actions are unjustified persecution.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/the-growing-tyranny-of-the-whack-a-mole-regulatory-state-5222820\">\u200bThe Growing Tyranny of the Whack-a-Mole Regulatory State<\/a> \u200d(4\/27\/2023)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/health\/something-in-the-water-a-consequence-of-nuclear-radiation-5482906\">Something in the \u2062Water: A Consequence of Nuclear Radiation<\/a> (9\/16\/2023)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;They\u2019re going after the vendors.\u200c It\u2019s really\u200b a way \u2063of starving Berkey in the\u2064 market so\u200c we have nothing available\u2014that\u2019s the problem,\u201d the company\u2019s \u2063attorney, Warren Norred, \u200ctold\u2064 The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sad reality\u2064 is [government] control is its own reward. That\u2019s where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The \u206249-page complaint argues that Berkey has \u2062done\u200b business in\u200d the United States without incident or regulation by the \u2063EPA for 25 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In 2022, the agency demanded the company \u2063register its mechanical filter as a \u201cpesticide device,\u201d and\u200d then recently\u2063 as a\u200d \u201cpesticide,\u201d without compliance with \u200bAdministrative Procedures Act (APA) guidelines, the\u2062 lawsuit argues.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;EPA Fail&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe EPA\u2019s failure to operate using plain\u2064 language and follow APA guidelines has caused\u200c plaintiffs devastating damage,\u201d \u200dthe suit claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cWhat the EPA is doing is attacking \u2064the vendors to Berkey products,\u201d attorney Norred said. \u201cThey\u2019re interfering in the supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The \u2064EPA has been regulating \u200cpesticides \u2062since 1947 under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act \u200d(FIFRA). However, the lawsuit argues that \u200dBerkey filters do not \u200duse chemical pesticides to treat water\u2014it&#8217;s purification process \u200cis entirely mechanical.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cFIFRA is exactly\u200d what it looks like\u2014a law that seeks to \u200dregulate chemical pesticides,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.norredlaw.com\/blog\/2023\/august\/norred-law-filed-suit-against-the-epa-this-week\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to the Norred Law website. \u201cBut the law distinguishes between actual pesticides, \u2018substances or \u2062mixtures \u200cof substances intended for preventing, destroying,\u2063 repelling, or mitigating any\u200c pest,\u2019 and \u2018treated devices\u2019, which use registered pesticides \u2062in their construction, e.g.\u200b seeds that are sold after being treated with a registered pesticide.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In February, the EPA issued a compliance advisory announcing changes \u2064in regulations governing the production, distribution, and sale of \u201cpesticide devices.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cThere has been a significant increase in the number of devices \u2064being distributed or sold in\u2062 the\u200c United States,\u201d the\u2064 advisory stated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cEPA has found substantial non-compliance with\u2062 FIFRA in\u2062 the device and pesticide marketplace. Examples of non-compliance include unregistered pesticides claiming to \u200bbe devices, devices bearing false and misleading statements, and devices\u200b being sold and distributed that were not produced in an EPA registered establishment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The EPA said \u2062examples of pesticide devices include water or air filters, ultraviolet light systems, ozone generators, and sound generators.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cIf a device incorporates \u2064a substance or mixture of substances to perform its intended pesticidal\u2062 purpose, then it is considered a pesticide, not a device, and would require registration under FIFRA Section 3.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Silver-Protected Filters<\/h2>\n<p>New Millennium Concepts agreed to an EPA\u2062 condition\u200d designating Berkey water filters as treated devices, because they\u200b use silver to protect the filters that remove pathogens by \u200dmeans of\u200b a \u201ctortuous maze of micropores.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The use of the anti-viral silver in Berkey filters has been found to trap more than 99 percent\u200d of COVID-19 strains, Mr. Norred \u200csaid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSilver is often\u2062 used in pesticides for pesticidal purposes.\u200b The EPA\u200c has latched on to the use of silver to protect\u2063 the filter,\u200b and said you\u2019re using silver and you are making pesticidal claims\u2014poof, you\u2019re a pesticide.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cWe\u200c do \u2064use a registered pesticide \u200dthat has\u2063 silver in it. So the filters are \u200dtechnically a treated article because there is \u200ca pesticide Berkey uses to protect its filters. But that pesticide \u200ddoes not have any pesticidal purpose for the water.\u2063 It\u2063 just protects \u200cand lengthens the \u2064lifetime of the\u200d filter,\u201d Mr. Norred added.<\/p>\n<h2>Not Enough<\/h2>\n<p>But the\u2064 company agreeing to brand its Berkey water filters as\u200c treated \u200bdevices &#8220;wasn\u2019t\u200c enough,\u201d the legal website added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2018The EPA recently decided \u2064that the filters are actual pesticides,\u2064 again without notice or warning, issued orders preventing Berkey filters \u2064from sale in some parts of the country, and preventing their export.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the EPA wants to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/berkey-water-filter-maker-sues-epa-over-claims-that-its-products-are-pesticides\/\" title=\"Berkey Water Filter Maker sues EPA for labeling its products as 'pesticides'.\">regulate \u200bgravity-fed mechanical water filters<\/a>, \u2062it has a process to follow, at the very least. Berkey\u2019s water filters have never caused any harm to\u2062 anyone, \u2062and the removal of Berkey filters from the \u200cmarket inexorably \u2062means that \u2064the demand will\u200c be met \u2062with untested\u2064 knockoff and counterfeit filters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062lawsuit regards\u200b the EPA\u2019s actions as \u201carbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion,\u201d and asks the court \u200bfor an injunction to block the stop-sales order.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>New Millennium Concepts partner James Shepherd told The Epoch Times that the EPA crackdown on \u200bBerkey water filters is\u200d costing the company $2,500 \u200din daily storage costs\u2014$1 million yearly, by his estimates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The \u200cEPA sent stop-sale orders to at least\u200c half a dozen vendors, which means New Millennium Concepts can\u2019t move its products to many of its customers, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt appears to me what\u2063 they want me to do is go bankrupt. Basically, when they shut down \u2062our dealers, we started working with the EPA,\u201d Mr. Shepherd said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo company can sit there and continue with their \u2064expenses with no income. You \u200ccan\u2019t walk into a company, give it a bad\u200c name, and\u200d then two or three years later say now it\u2019s a pesticide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The EPA declined a request for comment from \u200cThe Epoch Times regarding the company\u2019s lawsuit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cBecause \u2064this \u200bis\u2063 pending litigation, EPA has no further information to add,\u201d said Office of Public Affairs spokeswoman Shayla R.\u200c Powell.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Biggest Loser&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Shepherd said the biggest loser in \u200bhis company&#8217;s legal battle with the EPA are the consumers of Berkey products who desire a \u2064non-chemical method of purifying drinking water.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>New Millennium Concepts\u2064 recently \u2064issued \u2063a statement to its customers\u2063 assuring it was working to resolve product availability issues.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cDue to an EPA stop sale order, Black \u2062Berkey Filter Elements \u200bare currently unavailable. As \u2063a\u2063 result, all systems which include Black Berkey Filter Elements\u200d (Travel Berkey, Big Berkey, etc.) are unavailable as well. Products without Black\u2063 Berkey Filter Elements \u2063(such as Fluoride Filters, shower filters and accessories) remain available on our website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe understand the importance of access to reliable, filtered water and the peace of mind that\u200b your Berkey products provide. Rest assured the entire Berkey Filters Team is dedicating \u200ball resources and investing heavily in\u2062 resolving this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-warning-of-a-canceled-christmas-biden-demands-wal-mart-fedex-ups-work-to-address-global-supply-chain-issues\/\" title=\"After Warning Of A Canceled Christmas, Biden Demands Wal-Mart, FedEx, UPS Work To Address Global Supply Chain Issues\">product availability issue<\/a> as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Shepherd said the EPA gave the company\u2063 three\u200c choices: register Berkey devices as pesticides, \u200da lengthy process that \u2064could mean \u201cdeath\u201d to the company; remove all previous\u2063 marketing language around the world\u2014a challenging, if not\u2064 impossible task; or create a new water filter that does not use the Berkey name or patented technology.<\/p>\n<p>Option three would mean\u2062 introducing a \u200cnew product with no brand recognition in a highly competitive market, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think something rogue\u200d is going on. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m dealing with a rogue organization,\u201d Mr. Shepherd said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe still do not know to this day what is the specific issue that makes [Berkey filters] a pesticide. They will not tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200d What are the\u2063 potential\u2063 implications of\u200d the outcome of this lawsuit on other \u2064manufacturers and industries facing regulatory \u200dchallenges<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ber of manufacturers producing products that claim to kill\u2062 or repel pests, \u200bsuch as mosquitos, \u200cusing ultrasonic sound \u2063waves,&#8221; the\u200c advisory stated. \u200c&#8221;These products are often marketed as &#8216;pest control devices&#8217; or &#8216;pest repellers.&#8217; However, they may meet \u200cthe\u2062 definition of a pesticide\u200c under FIFRA.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>This\u200c change in regulations prompted the EPA\u2063 to classify Berkey water filters\u200b as &#8220;pesticides&#8221; due \u200bto their ability to remove harmful contaminants \u2063and substances from water.\u2064 The agency argued that by \u2063removing these substances, the filters \u200dwere effectively repelling or mitigating pests present in the water.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>However, New Millennium \u200cConcepts disputes\u200b this classification. \u2062The \u200bcompany \u200cclaims\u200b that their filters do\u2064 not use any chemical pesticides \u2063but rely solely on a filtration process to\u200c remove impurities.\u2062 They\u2062 argue that \u200cthe EPA&#8217;s labeling \u200bof their \u200dfilters \u200bas &#8220;pesticides&#8221; is misleading and unjustified.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The lawsuit\u2064 filed by New Millennium Concepts alleges that the EPA&#8217;s actions have resulted in significant financial losses for the \u2064company. \u200cThe stop-sales \u200dorder imposed by \u200dthe agency in May has severely\u200d impacted their revenue, as they are unable to sell their products \u200blabeled\u2062 as \u2062&#8221;pesticides.&#8221; This has led to\u200c a scarcity of Berkey water filters in the market, further exacerbating the \u200dcompany&#8217;s\u200c losses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Furthermore, the lawsuit argues\u2063 that the\u200b EPA&#8217;s actions go against\u200c the principles \u200bof the\u200b Administrative Procedures Act (APA). The \u2063agency failed to follow \u200cthe proper guidelines and procedures outlined in the APA when classifying Berkey water filters as &#8220;pesticides.&#8221; As a \u2064result, New Millennium Concepts claims\u2064 that the EPA&#8217;s actions are unjustified and \u2063tantamount to persecution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The case has\u200d gained attention and support from individuals concerned about government overreach and\u200d the potential impact on consumer choice. Critics argue\u200d that \u200bthe EPA&#8217;s classification of Berkey \u2064water \u2064filters\u2062 as &#8220;pesticides&#8221; unnecessarily restricts access to a \u2063product known\u2062 for its effectiveness \u2064in purifying water.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a \u200bquestion\u2063 of \u2062freedom of choice,\u2063\u201d attorney Warren Norred told The Epoch Times. \u201c[Berkey] \u2062 filters\u2063\u2063 are \u200dincredibly effective devices to purify water\u2064 and remove harmful contaminants,\u2062 and they \u2063should be\u200c available to consumers without unnecessary obstacles or government interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The outcome of this lawsuit may have\u200d implications\u2062 for the\u2063 regulatory authority\u2063 of the\u2063 EPA and the scope of its power in classifying products. It also raises larger questions about the role of \u200bgovernment agencies \u2063in determining what constitutes \u2063a &#8220;pesticide&#8221; and the \u200bimpact of such classifications\u2063 on businesses and consumers.<\/p>\n<p>As the\u200b legal battle between New Millennium Concepts and the\u200c EPA unfolds, the result will not only impact\u200b the future of Berkey water filters but may also\u200b set \u200da precedent for other manufacturers \u2063and industries \u200cfacing similar challenges from regulatory bodies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Berkey water filter maker, New Millennium Concepts, is suing the EPA for labeling its filters as &#8220;pesticides.&#8221; The EPA&#8217;s stop-sales order in May, under COVID-19 regulations, caused significant financial losses for Berkey vendors and distributors. The company disputes the agency&#8217;s claims and seeks to rectify the situation through legal action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":2035010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2035009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2035009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2035010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2035009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2035009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2035009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}