Governor Baldacci signing my bill LD 1547: An Act To Revise Notification Requirements for Pesticides Applications Using Aircraft or Air-carrier Equipment on June 8, 2010.
This bill truly represents a great part of my education up in Augusta so far. The committee I serve on, Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, has historically gotten along very well. For the most part, this still rings true as we only had two divided reports during this past session. However, there are a handful of issues that continue to raise the hackles of several concerned parties. Pesticide use is one of them.
Having worked in the annual blueberry harvest since I was nine years old, I am very familiar with the industry and I understand why blueberry farmers here in the midcoast need these tools to control pests and present a marketable product. However, since I began serving in the Maine Legislature, I have also become acquainted with many local residents who have concerns about the potential harmful effects of pesticides and cite scientific evidence to back up their arguments. They also feel that residing near treated areas has exposed them to these chemicals. On the other hand, the conventional blueberry farmers strongly believe that these chemicals do not present a danger, have their own scientific evidence and they feel like they're being needlessly targeted. One thing I've learned about serving as a public official, no matter what stand you take, you're going to catch flack and if you try to take the middle ground, you're going to get beat up by both sides! Nevertheless, this is what I signed up for and ever since this issue was first brought to my attention, I have made it my goal to bring both sides in this debate together.
Here in Maine lawmakers have been around the bend debating this problem. They've discussed setting up buffer zones for pesticide spraying, but that never went anywhere. There has been a petition to ban aerial spraying, but that was thrown out. However there was promise with a notification registry. Up until last year, farmers were required to notify people who asked to be notified if they resided within 500 feet. However, this was based on whether the resident was aware of pesticide use and if they had a relationship with the land manager. Under my bill, anyone spraying pesticides with aerial and air blast methods must notify all residents on a newly created notification registry who reside with 1320 feet, or 500 feet if near an orchard or Christmas tree farm.
I won't go into the whole process I've been through during the past year - the stakeholder groups, the heated debates, the yelling and the hair pulling - but I will say that this is an ongoing process. My bill specifically directs the Board of Pesticides Control to begin working on a unified single pesticide notification registry that includes all sectors of the regulated community, from forestry to suburban use, as well as all methods of application. It's very important that all concerned parties stay engaged.
Furthermore, if you would like to know if someone is using aerial or air carrier pesticide applications near your home, you can sign up for the new registry at Thinkfirstspraylast.com
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