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Log inPesticide spraying hearing in Bangor
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Pesticide spraying hearing in Bangor
by Outspoken on Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:03 am
Pesticide spraying hearing in Bangor
Aerial application rules to be reviewed
By Kevin Miller
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
State regulators will hold a public hearing Friday in Bangor on a proposal to tighten the rules on aerial spraying of pesticides near homes, businesses and other areas where people would be at risk of exposure.
Maine’s Board of Pesticides Control has been working for about two years to update its rules governing aerial spraying and what is known as “pesticide drift,” which is when winds or other factors carry the chemicals beyond the targeted area.
The issue has been most contentious in Washington and Hancock counties, where helicopters and planes are used to spray pesticides on some wild blueberry barrens.
The public hearing, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday at the Bangor Motor Inn on Hogan Road, will focus on several substantive changes proposed to the board’s aerial spraying and notification rules.
Those changes include:
— Prohibiting aerial spraying of pesticides within 200 feet of “sensitive areas likely to be occupied,” which include homes, buildings, some public roads and recreational areas. A 200-foot buffer would not be needed if neighbors do not object to spraying, however.
— Requiring pesticide applicators to prepare maps of sensitive areas within 500 feet of the targeted site as well as pre-application site plans whenever spraying within 1,000 feet of sensitive areas.
— Requiring pesticide applicators to check whether people living or working within 1,000 feet of a targeted area want to be notified before spraying.
— Clarification of procedures regarding notifications and requesting a notification.
Henry Jennings, director of the pesticides board, said most of the proposed changes would apply only in situations where people may come in contact with the pesticides. The rules would not affect spraying in areas far from people or in cases where neighbors do not want to be notified.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/93556.html
Aerial application rules to be reviewed
By Kevin Miller
Staff Writer Bangor Daily News
State regulators will hold a public hearing Friday in Bangor on a proposal to tighten the rules on aerial spraying of pesticides near homes, businesses and other areas where people would be at risk of exposure.
Maine’s Board of Pesticides Control has been working for about two years to update its rules governing aerial spraying and what is known as “pesticide drift,” which is when winds or other factors carry the chemicals beyond the targeted area.
The issue has been most contentious in Washington and Hancock counties, where helicopters and planes are used to spray pesticides on some wild blueberry barrens.
The public hearing, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday at the Bangor Motor Inn on Hogan Road, will focus on several substantive changes proposed to the board’s aerial spraying and notification rules.
Those changes include:
— Prohibiting aerial spraying of pesticides within 200 feet of “sensitive areas likely to be occupied,” which include homes, buildings, some public roads and recreational areas. A 200-foot buffer would not be needed if neighbors do not object to spraying, however.
— Requiring pesticide applicators to prepare maps of sensitive areas within 500 feet of the targeted site as well as pre-application site plans whenever spraying within 1,000 feet of sensitive areas.
— Requiring pesticide applicators to check whether people living or working within 1,000 feet of a targeted area want to be notified before spraying.
— Clarification of procedures regarding notifications and requesting a notification.
Henry Jennings, director of the pesticides board, said most of the proposed changes would apply only in situations where people may come in contact with the pesticides. The rules would not affect spraying in areas far from people or in cases where neighbors do not want to be notified.
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/93556.html
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Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
