SACRAMENTO, CA - Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) announced today that he has introduced AB 2760, a bill to require that an Environmental Impact Report be completed before the state Department of Food and Agriculture can apply pesticide in an urban area for the eradication of the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). The bill is a part of a four-bill legislative package to address the potential spraying of unknown and untested chemicals over urban areas to eradicate LBAM and other invasive species.
"My measure will require that before any spraying can begin, the state must complete an Environmental Impact Report that will tell us what impacts the specific mix of pheromone and other chemicals will have on our children, families and communities," said Leno. "The report will arm us with the information we need to help the state and communities make an informed decision. Too much is at stake to enter into the discussion without all of the facts. We cannot even begin a discussion about the current plans of eradicating the light brown apple moth before we understand the impacts of the chemicals the state is proposing to spray in urban areas," he said.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) began aerial spraying of pesticide to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties in the fall of 2007. The Department has proposed to expand the program to additional urban areas including San Francisco, Tiburon, Belvedere, Daly City, Colma, Oakland, Piedmont, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito and El Sobrante.
AB 2760 would require that before widespread urban applications of pesticide to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth commence, an Environmental Impact Report should be completed to provide policy makers and communities with a clear understanding of any possible impacts to human, animal, or environmental health.
Leno's measure is part of a package that he and colleagues have put forward this year to address the state's lack of preparation and outreach on Light Brown Apple Moth eradication efforts, including bills by Assemblymembers Laird (AB 2763) , Hancock (AB 2764) and Huffman (AB 2765).
"It's imperative that we have an open and transparent public process so that communities affected by a proposed eradication strategy can engage in the process and are part of the decision making process," added Leno.
AB 2760 and the Assembly's LBAM legislative package will be heard in policy committees in the coming weeks.
For those joining in gay marriages today, the road from outlaw status to respectability was paved in the Legislature over three decades.
From decriminalizing sex between same-sex couples, to outlawing job discrimination against homosexuals, to adding gay members to the legislative roster, the government has been taking steps, measure-by-measure, that have led to gay couples joining hands in marriage ceremonies across the state.
