The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has proposed a new regulation to provide advance notification to all Californians of some of the most hazardous pesticides used in agriculture.
We applaud this precedent-setting proposal to provide Californians with the basic right to know about planned use of toxic chemicals in our neighborhoods.
However, the Department’s proposal will not provide the exact location of planned pesticide applications, instead giving only the 1x1 square mile “section” - even though the exact field location is known to county officials in advance.
We know this won’t meet California’s needs, because we’ve already tried it. In four small pilot notification projects last year, DPR received unanimous feedback: Without exact location, these notifications don’t provide the information people need to protect themselves.
DPR has also repeatedly promised that the proposed notification program is just a starting point, and the regulation will be revised in future. But the proposed notification doesn’t provide any opportunity for communities to weigh in - just a report by DPR staff after three years with zero commitment to make any changes.
Tell DPR not to waste this historic opportunity! We want the exact location of pesticide applications in California, and a commitment to listen to impacted residents and to make real changes if the regulation is not working.
