Action starts: January 9, 2009
Action ends: January 15, 2009
On November 28th the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) released new draft regulations to address smog-forming pesticides. The draft regulations seriously backpedal on DPR’s promise to reduce smog-forming pesticides in the five air basins across the state- especially in the San Joaquin Valley. DPR is cheating Californians out of their right to breathe clean air and avoiding real use reductions of smog-forming pesticides.
Voice your opposition in writing by Jan 15th and in person at the public hearings January 12th in Bakersfield and January 14th in Sacramento.
Take action now with the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PANNA)! Demand DPR comply fully with the Clean Air Act by reducing the use of smog-forming pesticides.
- Pesticides are one of the largest contributors to smog in the San Joaquin Valley and Ventura County and a major contributor in the Southeast Desert, which includes the Coachella Valley. DPR should prioritize pesticide use reduction because pesticides are highly toxic, causing many mass farm worker and community poisonings, and volatile organic compounds (VOC) from pesticides contribute to smog and fine particulate matter formation. The only guaranteed way to reduce smog-forming, particulate matter-forming, and toxic emissions from pesticides is to reduce pesticide use.
- Regulations to reduce the VOC from pesticides are long overdue. In the mid 1990’s, California regulators promised to adopt regulations that would reduce VOC from pesticides by 20% below 1990 levels in five air basins by 2005. But the regulations did not keep their promise, leaving Californians to breathe polluted air. The proposed regulations do little to change the status quo.
We must voice strong opposition to this backpedaling and promise-breaking now and demand that DPR adopt strong regulations to protect people’s health. Californians deserve to breathe clean air.
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