Environment Maine's petition would halt all aerial spraying and organophosphate use on fields across the state.
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In January, Environment Maine Research & Policy Center and Toxics Action Center submitted hundreds of petition signatures from around the state to Maine’s Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) to change the rules governing pesticides.
The three changes would: 1) waive the $20 fee currently charged for residents if they wish to be alerted about where and when pesticides are applied in their neighborhood, 2) ban aerial application of pesticides, and 3) phase out the use of organophosphates, one of the most toxic classes of pesticides.
“We are calling on the BPC to strengthen the public’s right to know about toxic chemicals in our neighborhoods, stop pesticide drift, and protect workers, communities and the environment from the most dangerous pesticides,” said Environment Maine Research & Policy Center’s Matthew Davis.
Following up on past success
In response to Environment Maine and other groups’ threat of legal action, two of the largest aerial pesticide sprayers, Cherryfield Foods, Inc., and Jasper Wyman and Son, pledged to discontinue spraying using airplanes and helicopters, opting to use ground sprayers instead.
In studies conducted by the BPC, pesticides from aerial spraying have drifted nearly a mile from their intended target, contaminating rivers and homes. Unfortunately, the BPC staff has stopped monitoring aerial pesticide spraying despite the fact that some companies still use this inaccurate practice. Prohibiting aerial pesticide spraying will finish the job.
Next the BPC will hold a public hearing and consider the petitions. |
