BOSTON – The Association to Preserve Cape Cod is coming out in support of state legislation which would give local governments increased control over pesticide usage within their community’s boarders.
Officials and residents, both on Cape and off, have expressed concern that the chemicals could contaminate groundwater, impact the environment, and potentially affect human health.
“We’re concerned about the unnecessary use of pesticides on right-of-ways where there are clear alternatives to that use,” said APCC Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb.
The three bills in question would address the controversial issue of Eversource spraying herbicides along their rights-of-way.
Two of the measures were filed by the Cape and Island’s State Senator Julian Cyr. The first dubbed “An Act Relative to Vegetation Management” would require a public utility, state agency or other authority that maintains a right-of-way through a municipality or through property under the control of a water district to offer a “no-spray” vegetation management agreement if the municipality or water district desires a pesticide-free alternative.
The second of Cyr’s proposals, “An Act Relative to the Pesticide Board,” mandates that the Department of Agricultural Resources to consult with the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Health when making a decision about the use of pesticides relative to the protection of groundwater sources of drinking water.
A third bill was filed by State Representative Dylan Fernandes of Falmouth, and provides municipalities with a local option to adopt more stringent standards and restrictions on the use and application and disposal of pesticides.
“They want to use herbicides because it allows them to do it in an efficient manner from their work perspective,” said Gottlieb, “but where you have a municipality or water district that they will go out there and we’ll manage to your standards but we’ll do it in way that we feel those not jeopardize our water resources, I don’t think there is any basis at all for the ability to say we don’t want to see that happen.”
The mission of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod is to preserve, protect and enhance the natural resources of Cape Cod through advocacy and educational efforts.
By DAVID BEATTY, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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