Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

US Farm Bill to Restrict Local Pesticide Ordinances

The US House has added a provision to “the federal farm bill that would block cities, counties and school districts from restricting the use of toxic pesticides on playgrounds and parks.” “That would include ordinances that prohibit the use of glyphosate — the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer — in parks and playgrounds.” (AgMag)

So far the US Senate does not contain a similar provision.

Needless to say, there are many cities, not-for-profit organizations and others raising their voices in opposition to Section 9101 of the House bill.

In all, passing of this section of the Farm Bill will eliminate 155 known municipal ordinances regulating the use of pesticides in public spaces. Some states already have laws restricting municipalities from enacting their own ordinances against the use of pesticides, but this federal law would override all such laws.

For more details on Section 9101 of the Farm Bill, go to Recognition and Role of State Lead Agencies.

If you wish to express your concerns one way or another, communicate with your representatives and senators. Go to House.gov and Senate.gov to find their contact information.

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Court Orders Ban on Widely used Pesticide

On August 9, 2018, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ordered the EPA to remove a widely used pesticide on food crops from sale in the United States within 60 days. The Court ruled EPA endangered public health by keeping chlorpyrifos on the market despite scientific evidence which indicated that even tiny levels of exposure are linked to learning disabilities in children.

In 2017, a coalition of farmworkers and environmental groups sued the EPA after it reversed a 2015 ban on the use of chlorpyrifos. This pesticide is typically sprayed on citrus fruit, apples, nuts, broccoli and other food crops including cereal crops and alfalfa (totaling 50+). It came from another one of the chemicals developed by Nazi Germany to be used as a nerve gas. [Read more…]

Proposed Changes to the Endangered Species Act

The Environmental Protection Act

In the 1960s, smog was killing Americans, lakes were so low on oxygen they sustained little life, and there was a 400 square mile oil spill off the coast of California that killed bird and other wildlife. Nixon had just become president with a mandate to find some way to fix the environmental problems and stop pollution.

Gray wolves were listed as endangered in 1974. Photo courtesy of Northland College’s Timber Wolf Alliance.

Shortly after taking office, Nixon set up the Environmental Quality Council with the mission to solve these problems. The Environmental Policy Act of 1969 was signed into law on January 1, 1970. Later he signed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act into law. The Environmental Protection Agency which was the administration arm of these Acts became effective December 2, 1970 with William D Ruckelshaus at its head. [Read more…]

Lawsuit Challenges Elimination of Incidental Take Protections for Birds

The post which follows is reprinted in part from the July 2018 Wisconservation, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation‘s monthly newsletter.

A coalition of national environmental groups filed litigation on May 24, 2018 “National Audubon Society v. Department of the Interior, in the Southern District of New York” challenging the Administration’s move to eliminate longstanding protections for waterfowl, raptors and songbirds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). [Read more…]