On July 2, 2012, EPA received the National Marine Fisheries Service’s final Biological Opinion relative to the potential effects of the pesticide thiobencarb on federally listed threatened or endangered Pacific salmon and steelhead and their designated critical habitat. Thiobencarb is an herbicide used in growing rice. The Biological Opinion provides a nine-month timeframe for implementation. EPA states that it will consider the opinion and take appropriate steps to protect threatened and endangered species from pesticide risks.