Bill 'would shut down half the ag operations in my district'

By STEVE BROWN

Capital Press

OLYMPIA -- A proposal to establish a half-mile buffer zone for aerial and air-blast application of pesticides has met with strong opposition from agricultural interests.

The bill also would require notification be given to nearby child-care centers, schools, residents or "persons likely to be outdoors."

House Bill 2413 was discussed in the House Committee on Labor and Workforce Development.

Rep. Chris Reykdal, D-Tumwater, the bill's sponsor, said his concept in writing the bill is to assure working lands stay working but to also address health concerns of farmworkers and others.

"Did you talk to anyone in agriculture? This would shut down half the ag operations in my district," Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, said. "A half-mile buffer universally applied is unworkable."

Heather Hansen, of the Washington Friends of Farms and Forests, said a comprehensive system is already in place, with the Washington State Department of Agriculture working with the departments of Health and of Labor and Industry to monitor pesticide applications.

Tests have shown there are no significant levels of pesticides 25 feet away from an application, and growers have an excellent track record, she said.

Jim Jesernig, speaking for wheat and potato growers, said the federal Environmental Protection Agency takes worker health and environmental safety when it establishes pesticide labels. Growers must be able to deal with diseases quickly, he said, or they could lose a crop or even an industry.

"Pests will grow where they are not treated," he said. "Some pests have quarantine significance. If it's found, the entire state can be quarantined."

No action was taken on the bill.