Momentum Building for Bill to Regulate Pesticide Use on Public Properties (PRESS RELEASE)
CRWA is pleased to report that An Act Relative to Pesticides (H.825/S.487), sponsored by Representative James Hawkins and Senator Paul Feeney, has received a favorable vote by the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and has moved to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Rat poisons have directly caused the deaths of three bald eagles in just two years, and have seriously poisoned many more. Recently, a beloved eagle nesting in Arlington named MK, one of the first eagles to nest in the Mystic Lakes area since bird populations were decimated by DDT over 70 years ago, was tragically poisoned, causing outrage from the community.
Lethal rodenticides, which are widely used, threaten not only raptors, but also dogs, cats, and children. Intended to kill rodents by preventing blood clotting, many of these poisons called second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, or SGARs, are slow-acting, often having unintended victims when eagles, hawks, and owls eat poisoned rodents. SGARs are extremely dangerous––these types of rodenticides are banned for home use by the EPA. According to the ASPCA, SGARs make the top-ten list of toxins responsible for pet poisonings, and the EPA reports over 100 pet deaths annually.
This crucial bill provides much-needed transparency about the use of lethal rodenticides in Massachusetts—requiring pesticide applicators to report when deadly rodenticides are used on publicly-owned properties, like elementary schools, libraries, and more, and requiring consideration of other pest management options to create a safer environment for all.
“This is a very popular bill that empowers both the public and policymakers to better understand how lethal rodenticides endanger Massachusetts’ raptors and our environment,” says Representative James Hawkins. “Thank you to the coalition of advocates who have supported this bill and members of the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources for advancing this critical legislation.”
“This bill is a great first step to protecting people and wildlife from the dangers of SGARs,” says Zeus Smith, Policy Advocate for Charles River Watershed Association. “By closely regulating the application of SGARs on publicly-owned schools this legislation will keep deadly poisons away from our most sensitive populations and serve as a model for better pest management approaches on private properties in the future.”
CRWA is incredibly grateful to our members, partner organizations, the bill sponsors, and the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources for getting the bill to this point. We urge the House Committee on Ways and Means to support this critically important bill.
