diff --git a/litellm/__init__.py b/litellm/__init__.py
index 46124bf8363..f5db57f76fd 100644
--- a/litellm/__init__.py
+++ b/litellm/__init__.py
@@ -81,8 +81,6 @@ litellm_mode = os.getenv("LITELLM_MODE", "DEV")  # "PRODUCTION", "DEV"
 if litellm_mode == "DEV":
     dotenv.load_dotenv()
 
-# Import default_encoding to ensure environment variables are initialized at import time
-from litellm.litellm_core_utils import default_encoding  # noqa: F401
 
 ####################################################
 if set_verbose: