Hearing of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Dec. 14 2021
Links to: Hearing part 1 Hearing part 2
On H.910/S.2551 : “Let’s return the right to regulate toxic chemicals to where it belongs: with our locally-elected officials. Our local officials should be permitted once again to safeguard our health, our children’s health, and the health of our environment by being able to make regulations that are more restrictive and protective than those of the Massachusetts Pesticide Board and its Subcommittee..”
“If H.926 becomes law, school systems will have a clear understanding of which pesticides are allowed. Parents will be reassured that their children are not exposed to toxic pesticides while playing sports or on the playground in a neighboring school system. Eliminating pesticides would reduce the amount of paperwork for schools and MDAR, saving time and money. Schools that have already moved away from pesticides will be models for others as they make the change. “
On H.929 and S.575 : While glyphosate seems effective at killing unwanted plants, its toxicity causes enormous amounts of collateral damage to all surrounding life forms. So anything that can be done to reduce or eliminate it from our environment is a worthwhile endeavor. In these bills, only licensed or authorized individuals will be able to purchase, handle and apply glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH), which essentially takes it out of the hands of the general public. However, allowing reclassification of glyphosate from “general” to “restricted” would add another layer of safety.
From CAN’s testimony in support of House bills H910, H926, and H929 and Senate bills S2551, S575
Comments by Carole Horowitz, Susan Garrett, Lynne Man, and Darcy Sweeney
For this panel, and other testimony about the importance of bills to limit use of pesticides on school grounds, on lawns, on farm fields, and near wetlands, watch https://www.vibby.com/v/Xk_6lqSI2 .