The Problem of Pesticides: They Get Into Places They Don't Belong 

Rachel Carson warned us of the dangers of pesticides in Silent Spring. And it took years for poisons like DDT to be outlawed.

However, we’re still dumping millions of pounds of pesticides on farms every year. Although the actual usage seems to have leveled off, according to EPA data available through 2001, more than 675 million pounds of the stuff was used in the agriculture industry....More

HIGHWAYS VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN HEARING NOTICE

MASSACHUSETTS EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
Department of Agricultural Resources
251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114 617-626-1700
www.mass.gov/agr

PUBLIC HEARINGS: VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN NOTICE
Wednesday, January 19, 2011

http://www.mass.gov/agr/pesticides/rightofway/vmp/MassDOT-D6-VMP-2011-2015.pdf

Pursuant to the Rights-of-Way Management Regulations (333 CMR 11.00) in order to apply pesticides to control vegetation to maintain Rights-of Ways, the Department of Agricultural Resources must approve a Vegetation Management Plan (VMP) and a Yearly Operational Plan (YOP). The VMP is intended to justify the need to control vegetation, identify target vegetation, describe the intended methods of control, describe methods for identifying sensitive areas, describe operational guidelines for applicators, outline a program of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) designed to reduce the use of herbicides, and describe alternative land use activities.

The following municipalities are advised that the MassDOT Highway Division District 6 proposes to utilize herbicides to treat their Rights-of-Way in these municipalities:

Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Canton, Chelsea, Dedham, Dover, Milton, Needham, Newton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston, Westwood, Weymouth, Winthrop

PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED:

In accordance with 333 CMR 11.05 the Department of Agricultural Resources will conduct a regional hearing to receive public comment on the proposed Vegetation Management Plan for the MassDOT Highway Division District 6 as submitted by the MassDOT Highway Division 6, 185 Kneeland Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.

To provide all interested parties an opportunity to comment on the proposed VMP, public hearings will be held at the following locations:

Wednesday, January 19, 2011: MassDOT, John Driscoll Building, 668 South Ave, Weston Turnpike Depot, Weston 10:30 AM- 12:00 PM

Plans Available for Public Review Prior to Hearings:  http://www.mass.gov/agr/pesticides/rightofway/vmp/MassDOT-D6-VMP-2011-2015.pdf

Section 11.05 (3)(d) of the Row Management Regulations provide: “At least 21 days prior to the end of the public comment period, the applicant shall send a copy of the proposed VMP to the chief elected official, the Board of Health, and the Conservation Commission in affected communities upon their request.” Such request should be made to:

Mr. Helmut Ernst District Highway Director MassDOT Highway Division District 6 185 Kneeland Street Boston, MA 02111

2010 VMP: http://www.mass.gov/agr/pesticides/rightofway/yop/MassPike-MADOT-YOP-2010.pdf

NStar Use of Herbicides Raises Concerns For Public Health

From: Sue Phelan, GreenCAPE, <suephelan@comcast.net>  In case you are hearing false reports from NSTAR spokesmen that Silent Spring Institute has tested for their herbicides and found nothing (a shameless attempt to twist the truth), please read  the reality according to Silent Spring Institute in the following letter to the editor- Sue Phelan, GreenCAPE, P.O. Box 631, West Barnstable, MA 02668 www.GreenCAPE.org 508.362.5927

***************** 

Laurel Schaider and Cheryl Osimo, Newton: NStar Use of Herbicides Raises Concerns For Public Health by Laurel Schaider and Cheryl Osimo, Silent Spring Institute, Newton  SANDWICH BROADSIDER
http://www.wickedlocal.com/orleans

Posted Dec 15, 2010 @ 06:00 AM Cape Cod —
A recent Sandwich Broadsider article, “Cape environmental groups fight NStar plan,” (Dec. 8) reported that NStar spokesman Michael Durand cited a recent Silent Spring Institute groundwater study. The study did not find herbicides, and this point has been used to support the idea that spraying herbicides in rights-of-way areas will not affect Cape groundwater. We are writing to clarify the scope of our study and explain why it cannot be considered evidence that herbicide use is safe.

In our recent study of 20 public drinking water wells on Cape Cod, we tested for five herbicides, including one, triclopyr, that is among the herbicides proposed for use by NStar. We did not detect any of these herbicides. 

However, these results are of limited relevance to the NStar proposal, because we did not target wells close to sources of herbicides, and we did not include all herbicides proposed by NStar, nor the undisclosed “inert” ingredients in pesticide formulations that also raise health concerns. In addition, public wells are protected from nearby contamination sources by a 400-ft buffer zone, while private wells are less protected and may be more vulnerable to contamination than public wells, and nearby surface water bodies also may be impacted.

The proposed use of herbicides in rights-of-way management on Cape Cod raises concerns about groundwater contamination and exposure to animals and to people who pass through a sprayed area, for example during recreational use. The characteristics of the Cape's aquifer (sandy soils, low organic content) promote relatively fast movement of groundwater and limited breakdown of organic contaminants.

Pesticides continue to be among the chemicals that Silent Spring Institute is testing for in ongoing groundwater and household exposure studies. The active and “inert” ingredients raise multiple health concerns, and alternatives should be evaluated.

Laurel Schaider and Cheryl Osimo

Silent Spring Institute

Newton

Letter to Linda Walsh, Newton Health Department

12 8 2010  Attn:  Linda Walsh, linda_walsh@newton.k12.ma.us  cc: Bob Rooney rrooney@newtonma.gov
Dear Linda,
   Bob Rooney sent me the draft of the letter you are planning to submit to the MBTA.
   I am very grateful that you have taken the time to send comments.
   I hope you will be willing to consider my suggestions for your comments.  Please call me if you would like to discuss them. 
    (Note: I have asked Bob to ask the Mayor for a formal acknowledgment of the original letter and a brief summary of the steps City of Newton officials have taken so far.)
   Your letter focuses on steps to fulfill the requirements regarding notification.  At our meeting last Thursday, I thought we agreed that newspaper notices are not acceptable.  In the past, the local newspaper notice was limited and ineffective. It is even more inadequate today when so many people rely on email and online communication.  
    Clearly the requirements for record keeping and communication to the public need review and updating.  The confusion between Ann Phelps and John McNally about when the spraying takes place is evidence that systems need updating.
    And then, even if the state agencies and the city of Newton did meet the requirements of the current regulations, the public would not be receiving adequate or proper notice of either the spraying or the opportunity to influence official policymaking. 
    Therefore I hope you will ask that the review and comment period for the YOP be extended to give the City of Newton adequate time to notify its citizens, especially the abutters, of opportunities to engage in a legitimate public review of the entire YOP.
    More important, there are no precautions that people can take to protect themselves and their families from exposures to herbicides. In fact, such false assurances misinforms the public about the true nature of pesticides.
    Since learning that City of Newton officials do not have records of the multiple herbicide applications on Rights-of-Ways in Newton, and until such records are public, I hope the Health Department will object to the use of herbicides by state agency contractors. 
    While Bob Rooney has asked the City of Newton Law Department to acquire the herbicide application records, please know that the complete ingredients in the chemical products are trade secrets. They not disclosed even to the EPA. So that public officials nor the public ever has the complete picture of what chemicals are being used and therefore there is no way to truly track or evaluate the true cost to health or the environment.
    As we discussed last Thursday, I look forward to working with you to share information with other Newton officials and citizens.
    Please forward me your final letter so that I can share it with others who are interested in the City’s response to the Letter to Mayor Warren.  Signatures (as of 11/20/2010).
    I have been posting information and resources online. Click here.
Best regards,
Ellie Goldberg 617 965-9637

Letter from Linda Walsh to MA Dept. of Agric Resources

Health and Human Services Department

Linda Walsh, Interim Commissioner

1294 Centre Street

Newton, MA 02459-1544

Telephone 617.796.1420   Fax 617.552.7063   TDD/TTY 617.796.1089

 

December 7, 2010   

Rights-of -Way Program

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

Pesticide Bureau

251 Causeway Street, Suite 500

Boston, Massachusetts 02114-2151

Dear Sir,

I am writing to comment on the yearly operational plan to manage vegetation along the railroad’s right of way in compliance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Rights of Way Management Regulations 333 CMR 11.00. The public notification of herbicide applications is mandated by this regulation to our department by registered mail at least 21 days in advance of treatment.

This notification is extremely important to ensure adequate time for notice to be given to our citizens so that one may take the necessary precautions before, during and after the use of herbicides.   It has been our experience that the notification procedures have not been followed according to the mandated protocol.  This should be addressed with explicit language that would ensure the notification procedures are followed, up to and including canceling the spraying until such notification has occurred.

It is understood that the notification will occur in the local newspaper, which is acceptable, however I would further request that the Commissioner for the Department of Health and Human Services is notified via email and telephone (lwalsh@newtonma.gov, 617-796-1420) concurrent with the public notification to establish the necessary relationship with managers on ground.  This would enable the City to conduct further notifications and assist in the answering of further questions raised by Newton residents.  

This is a matter of great importance in maintaining the public health and safety of all residents. I appreciate your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Linda Walsh

Interim Commissioner of Health and Human Services

State policy lags far behind current science in the regulation of herbicides.

We urge state policy makers to update current herbicide regulations in light of latest scientific information.  Quote from the GreenCAPE campaign

Cape Cod for a Truly Green NSTAR  http://www.greencape.org/

 

Debacle over drinking water deals a blow to CDC and EPA.
http://wapo.st/e2aWIm

When it comes to something as basic as ensuring that our drinking water doesn't poison our children, you'd think federal scientists and environmentalists would hustle to give the public the fullest and most reliable information as quickly as possible. Washington Post [Registration Required] 

EG: This article discusses why government agencies do not provide the most reliable information on the health affects of environmental hazards and why they are slow to admit error...