diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 452bdc60d..b919c7e84 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ envlist =
     docs
 
 [testenv]
-whitelist_externals = env
 commands =
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest --lsof -ra {posargs:testing}
 passenv = USER USERNAME
@@ -58,7 +57,6 @@ deps =
     nose
     hypothesis>=3.56
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_EXTRA_DEP:}
-whitelist_externals = env
 passenv = USER USERNAME TRAVIS
 commands =
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest -n auto -ra {posargs:testing}
@@ -79,7 +77,6 @@ platform = linux|darwin
 deps =
     pexpect
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_EXTRA_DEP:}
-whitelist_externals = env
 commands =
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest -ra test_pdb.py test_terminal.py test_unittest.py
 
@@ -100,7 +97,6 @@ changedir=testing
 setenv =
     {[testenv]setenv}
     PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1
-whitelist_externals = env
 passenv = USER USERNAME TRAVIS
 commands =
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest -n auto -ra {posargs:.}
@@ -109,7 +105,6 @@ commands =
 deps =
     twisted
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_EXTRA_DEP:}
-whitelist_externals = env
 commands =
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest -ra {posargs:testing/test_unittest.py}
 
@@ -121,7 +116,6 @@ commands = {[testenv:py27-trial]commands}
 deps =
     numpy
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_EXTRA_DEP:}
-whitelist_externals = env
 commands=
   {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest -ra {posargs:testing/python/approx.py}
 
@@ -157,7 +151,6 @@ skipsdist = True
 deps =
     PyYAML
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_EXTRA_DEP:}
-whitelist_externals = env
 commands =
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest -ra doc/en
     {env:_PYTEST_TOX_COVERAGE_RUN:} pytest --doctest-modules --pyargs _pytest