August 27, 2002
Contact: Eric Cardenas, EDC (805) 963-1622 ext. 111

PESTICIDE SAFETY BILL PASSES LEGISLATURE
Environmental Defense Center is Co-Sponsor of AB 947

SANTA BARBARA, CA - Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson's bill to help protect children from pesticide drift has passed the legislature and now awaits the Governor's Signature. The bill was supported by a coalition of groups including the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) and the Ventura County Farm Bureau.

As passed, AB 947 allows County Agricultural Commissioners the authority to regulate Unrestricted Pesticides/Materials within ¼ mile of schools. While certain safety rules apply to the use of Restricted Pesticides/Materials, which are deemed by the State to have the most potential for harm to health and the environment, Unrestricted Pesticides are only subject to minimal guidelines. AB 947 will now give Agricultural Commissioners discretion in deciding whether or not certain individual pesticide applications may require further regulation. AB 947 also increases the maximum fine for serious pesticide related violations from $1,000 to $5,000.

"This is a great victory for school aged children who, through no fault of their own, attend schools that are impacted by agricultural chemicals," said Eric Cárdenas, Director of EDC's Central Coast Environmental Health Project (CCEHP). "We now await the Governor's signature of approval, and we are confident he will support us."

AB 947 was first drafted as a result of a pesticide drift incident over a Ventura County elementary school in 1999. A citrus grower had applied Lorsban, an Unrestricted Pesticide, to his lemon orchard adjacent to Mound Elementary School. When children at the school began feeling sick later that day, officials determined that pesticides had drifted over the school and subsequently closed the school. Samples taken later confirmed that pesticides had indeed drifted.

As a result, Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson, EDC, the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner and the Ventura County Farm Bureau began discussing potential options for preventing a similar drift event in the future. The result was a proposed new law that would limit pesticide use close to sensitive school sites, increase the penalties for violations, and improve communication between growers, schools, the public and governmental agencies. AB 947 was first introduced by Hannah-Beth Jackson in 2000, and has been supported by the EDC, American Lung Association, the California Farm Bureau and many other organizations.

The EDC is a non-profit, public interest environmental law firm serving California's Central Coast since 1977. The mission of the Central Coast Environmental Health Project, a project of EDC, is to raise awareness about the health risks posed by pesticide exposure while decreasing our reliance on pesticides through education and advocacy. For more information, please call (805) 963-1622 ext. 111.

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