{"id":30057,"date":"2021-10-22T00:01:27","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T04:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=30057"},"modified":"2021-10-22T10:25:28","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T14:25:28","slug":"appeal-court-strikes-down-hazardous-statewide-california-pesticide-spray-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2021\/10\/appeal-court-strikes-down-hazardous-statewide-california-pesticide-spray-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeal Court Strikes Down Hazardous Statewide California Pesticide Spray Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>(<em>Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, October 22, 2021) The California Court of Appeal (Third District, Sacramento) <a href=\"https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/\">has ruled that a statewide pesticide spraying program violates state law<\/a>. The court found that the program, launched in 2014 and administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), contravenes California\u2019s landmark 1970 <a href=\"https:\/\/opr.ca.gov\/ceqa\/\">Environmental Quality Act<\/a> (CEQA). It does so, the court found, by failing to: assess and reduce damages of pesticide applications to bees, other pollinators, and water bodies; conduct site-specific environmental reviews; and notify the public before spraying is conducted. This decision is a victory, and a step toward a less-toxic California, say plaintiffs and many health and environmental advocates, including Beyond Pesticides.<\/p>\r\n<p>The history of CDFA\u2019s actions in the state is riddled with invocations of emergency provisions of California\u2019s Food and Agriculture Code. These emergency declarations have allowed CDFA to conduct pesticide spraying for invasive species nearly anywhere \u2014 in back yards, on school and recreational grounds, on organic farms, on public lands, and sometimes, across entire neighborhoods \u2014 without any analysis of the health and environmental impacts of those applications, or any notice to the public or opportunity to comment on the program. From 2014 to 2018, CDFA conducted more than 1,000 such pesticide applications.<\/p>\r\n<p>Petitioners before the Court of Appeal comprise two groups: those from the original case that was adjudicated in 2018 by Sacramento County Superior Court, and the additional parties in the current case \u2014 an appeal of that 2018 decision by CDFA. Plaintiffs in the original case included the City of Berkeley, <a href=\"http:\/\/ewg.org\/\">Environmental Working Group<\/a> (EWG), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biologicaldiversity.org\/\">Center for Biological Diversity<\/a> (CBD), <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/\">Beyond Pesticides<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cal-ehi.org\/Home.html\">California Environmental Health Initiative<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.momsadvocatingsustainability.org\/\">MOMS Advocating Sustainability<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centerforfoodsafety.org\/\">Center for Food Safety<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.panna.org\/\">Pesticide Action Network North America<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/ceh.org\/\">Center for Environmental Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eacmarin.org\/\">Environmental Action Committee of West Marin<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pesticidereform.org\/\">Californians for Pesticide Reform<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safealt.org\/\">Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment<\/a>. Additional petitioners in the appeal case are North Coast Rivers Alliance, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pesticidefreezone.org\/\">Pesticide Free Zone, Inc.<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthandhabitat.org\/\">Health and Habitat, Inc<\/a>., <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alt2tox.org\/\">Californians for Alternatives to Toxics<\/a> and Gayle McLaughlin (former mayor of Richmond, California).<\/p>\r\n<p>The petitioners sought writs of mandate challenging the CDFA pesticide program\u2019s environmental impact report (EIR). A writ of mandate is a procedure in California that allows superior courts, courts of appeal, and the state Supreme Court to command lower courts and state agencies to take, or not take, specific actions. When a writ is issued, the responsibility for enacting the content of the writ falls to the lower body. In this case, this means that, although the appeal court agreed with a host of the petitioners\u2019 claims, it did not explicitly set aside the program\u2019s EIR or tell CDFA to stop carrying out the program. Rather, it will send its ruling back to the lower court, which by law should issue orders consistent with the appeal court&#8217;s decision. Unfortunately, this means that CDFA can continue this pesticide spraying program until the lower, trial court issues such orders.<\/p>\r\n<p>The CDFA pesticide program at issue uses \u2014 on public and private property, on agricultural lands, and even on wild lands \u2014 pesticides known to be carcinogenic and teratogenic (causing birth defects), and toxic to, especially, bees, birds, fish, and butterflies. Among those pesticide compounds are, <a href=\"https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/\">according to CBD<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li>neonicotinoid pesticides (<a href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/356\/6345\/1393\">highly toxic to pollinators<\/a>such as bees and aquatic invertebrates)<\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/resources\/pesticide-gateway?pesticideid=223\">methyl bromide<\/a>, (a toxic fumigant that causes significant health harms and depletes the ozone layer)<\/li>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/niosh\/ershdb\/emergencyresponsecard_29750034.html\">chloropicrin<\/a> (a chemical warfare agent that causes significant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/medicine-and-dentistry\/chloropicrin\">lung<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdpr.ca.gov\/docs\/emon\/pubs\/tac\/tacpdfs\/chloropicrin\/letter_0410.pdf\">genetic damage<\/a>)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>The appeal court\u2019s October 15 ruling should result in writs saying that CDFA\u2019s certification of the program\u2019s environmental impact report (EIR) and its approval of the program must be set aside, and enjoining the agency from any further activities within the program \u201cuntil the Department certifies an EIR correcting the CEQA violations identified in the trial court\u2019s ruling.\u201d Among other stipulations, CEQA requires EIRs for all major projects by state agencies that might have environmental impacts; unlike the federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/laws-regulations\/summary-national-environmental-policy-act\">National Environmental Quality Act<\/a>, the California statute also requires the state to prevent or mitigate negative impacts it discovers. The appeal court\u2019s written ruling identifies multiple instances of CDFA failing to analyze adequately the health and environmental dangers of more than 75 pesticides the agency greenlighted for its program use across the state.<\/p>\r\n<p>The court also found that CDFA <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/science-environment-and-nature-lawsuits-california-environment-82cbb7df21d64747bba26b19638a6bdf\">understated existing levels of pesticide use<\/a>, and failed to assess, and reduce, the damage done by pesticide spraying to pollinators and to water bodies. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.ca.gov\/opinions\/nonpub\/C086957.PDF\">The ruling states<\/a>: \u201cWe agree with EWG that the program EIR fails to mitigate potential significant adverse impacts on bees. . . . The program EIR discloses that use of pesticides for Program activities could harm bees. . . . The program EIR\u2019s Ecological Risk Assessment and Appendix K likewise state that pesticides can poison bees. . . . [and] Appendix K further notes sublethal impacts to bees from pesticides, including reducing the foraging success of bees. Because the program EIR discloses that Program activities could have substantial adverse impacts on bees, it must discuss mitigation measures for those impacts and the program EIR does not do so.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>In addition, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.ca.gov\/opinions\/nonpub\/C086957.PDF\">the ruling notes<\/a> that, although CDFA\u2019s EIR for the pesticide program indicates that the agency \u201cwould implement avoidance and minimization measures discussed [in the EIR] . . . the program EIR does not explain how the management practices . . . would minimize the potential adverse impacts on bees. . . . The Department\u2019s statement in the program EIR that implementation of enumerated measures would reduce or avoid potential impacts on bees, without facts or analysis, is inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.ca.gov\/opinions\/nonpub\/C086957.PDF\">The decision asserts<\/a>, \u201cThe program EIR is deficient for another reason. . . . any additional contribution by the . . . Program to an impairment [i.e., existing chemical contamination of a water body] would be a considerable contribution to a cumulatively significant impact. . . . The analysis in the program EIR does not lead to the conclusion of no cumulative impact on impaired waterbodies.&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.ca.gov\/opinions\/nonpub\/C086957.PDF\">The court also states<\/a> that, although \u201cthe program EIR recognizes that the cumulative risk to ecological receptors and human health from Program activities \u2018would depend on the pesticide chemicals used, other chemical additives used, how a pesticide is applied, where pesticide use occurs, the quantity and concentration of the pesticides applied, exposure pathways, and the biological characteristics of the receptor,\u2019\u201d CDFA\u2019s defense that \u201cthe program EIR adequately evaluated the Program\u2019s cumulative impacts\u201d relies on program components that contain no \u201cinformation about the factors the program EIR acknowledges are relevant.\u201d0<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/\">According to CBD<\/a>, the court \u201chighlighted that the proposal was made largely without public notice and without evaluating local impacts or allowing opportunity for affected communities to opt out.\u201d On the other side of the coin, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.ca.gov\/opinions\/nonpub\/C086957.PDF\">the court said<\/a>, \u201cThe EWG petitioners fail[ed] to show that the program EIR\u2019s analysis of human health impacts is misleading or inadequate.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The Superior Court\u2019s 2018 findings (in the original litigation) echo much of what the appeal court decision now sets out. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/assets\/media\/documents\/bp-38.1-sp18-CA-Court.pdf\">As reported by Beyond Pesticides in 2018<\/a>, \u201cIn its implementation outline for the program, the PEIR gave CDFA carte blanche to use more pesticides in a state already over-burdened with pesticides in the environment. The court labeled as \u2018woefully deficient\u2019 CDFA\u2019s analysis of the cumulative impacts of adding pesticides to the state\u2019s already hefty environmental burden of over 150 million pounds released annually. It cited \u2018unsupported assumptions and speculations\u2019 contained in the PEIR as a basis for concluding that pesticides would not contaminate waterbodies. Potentially significant pollinator impacts were also \u2018improperly ignored.\u2019 The court further concluded that in the PEIR document CDFA had granted itself authority \u2018to implement a broad range of practices without evaluating the site-specific conditions\u2019 as a basis for determining their impacts.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>As was the case in 2018, this current ruling does not prevent CDFA from conducting non-pesticide related activities, including pest identification, site inspections, and the imposition of quarantines, nor does it prevent the agency from producing specific EIRs for individual projects. And the decision has no impact on the actions of farmers, other institutions, companies, or residents from spraying pesticides on their land. But, as CBD\u2019s Environmental Health Legal Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.capradio.org\/articles\/2018\/03\/01\/california-pesticide-spray-ban-could-hamper-effort-to-curb-citrus-pest\/\">Jonathan Evans noted in 2018<\/a>, the state \u201ccan\u2019t use pesticides until [it] addresses how those pesticides are going to impact communities affected and the sensitive wildlife species and watersheds that [would] be sprayed.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>Advocates are pleased with this Court of Appeal decision. CBD reports the <a href=\"https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/\">comment of Nan Wishner of the California Environmental Health Initiative<\/a>: \u201cThis ruling sends an important message to the Department of Food and Agriculture to make protecting the health of our communities and food supply the top priority by joining the transition to sustainable pest-management practices.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/\">CBD\u2019s Jonathan Evans also commented<\/a>, \u201cThe court affirmed Californians have the right to know when dangerous pesticides are sprayed in their communities and what the risks are to people and to pollinators crucial to our food supply.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>The Environmental Working Group\u2019s California Director of Government Affairs, <a href=\"https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/\">Bill Allayaud, weighed in<\/a>, saying, \u201cThe court was right to rule against the Department of Food and Agriculture\u2019s outrageous effort to hide from the public where toxic pesticides are being sprayed and to downplay the risks these chemicals pose to pollinators, the environment, and the health of those who live near farm fields. It is our hope the department accepts the court\u2019s ruling and joins the state\u2019s movement toward sustainable pest management, represented by the governor\u2019s recently released\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ebudget.ca.gov\/BudgetAddendum.pdf\">Sustainable Agriculture budget initiative<\/a>\u00a0and the state Department of Pesticide Registration\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdpr.ca.gov\/docs\/pressrls\/2021\/031021.htm\">Sustainable Pest Management Work Group<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p>CDFA <em>could<\/em> appeal this decision of the Third District Court of Appeal to the California Supreme Court. Thus far, that is not expected by the petitioners, who hope for an order from the trial court in the next few months that will set aside the current EIR and prevent CDFA from continuing its activities covered by that EIR \u2014 which comprise most of the agency\u2019s chemical pest management.<\/p>\r\n<p>Beyond Pesticides welcomes this decision, which is an important roadmap for advocates and other states to follow. According to Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, \u201cAll state agencies that deal with pesticides, health, environment, and land management should be engaged in evaluating the real-world impacts of pesticide use against invasive species, and the sustainable alternatives prior to any broad-scale state application programs.\u201d \u201cStill, such a piecemeal and \u201cfractured\u201d approach to the use of pesticides underscores the need for precautionary federal action on these toxic compounds,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\r\n<p>Individuals can adopt a variety of least-toxic practices for dealing with pests of all sorts in their home, garden, school, and community environments. See Beyond Pesticides resource pages: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/resources\/managesafe\/overview\">Least Toxic Control of Pests in the Home and Garden<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/assets\/media\/documents\/111bp-PAY-38.1-sp18-web.pdf\">Meeting the Invasive Species Challenge<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/resources\/managesafe\/choose-a-pest\">ManageSafe<\/a><sup>TM<\/sup>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/programs\/invasive-weed-management\/overview\">Ecological Management of Problem Vegetation<\/a>, among others. The public is encouraged by Beyond Pesticides to organize in municipalities, counties, and\/or states to pressure governments to do better on getting poisons out of the materials streams, human bodies, and the environment. Beyond Pesticides offers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/programs\/invasive-weed-management\/overview\">Tools for Change<\/a>, a resource for activism, and an older-but-still-useful document, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/assets\/media\/documents\/how-to\/media\/Packard_Brochure.pdf\"><em>Now Hear This: The Nine Laws of Successful Advocacy Communications<\/em><\/a>. In addition, always feel free to reach out to Beyond Pesticides for guidance on local advocacy via email at <a href=\"mailto:INFO@BEYONDPESTICIDES.ORG\">info@beyondpesticides.org<\/a>, or at 1.202.543.5450.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/\">https:\/\/biologicaldiversity.org\/w\/news\/press-releases\/court-of-appeal-rejects-californias-blanket-approval-of-pesticide-spraying-2021-10-18\/<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.ca.gov\/opinions\/nonpub\/C086957.pdf\">https:\/\/www.courts.ca.gov\/opinions\/nonpub\/C086957.pdf<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><em>All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.<\/em><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Beyond Pesticides, October 22, 2021) The California Court of Appeal (Third District, Sacramento) has ruled that a statewide pesticide spraying program violates state law. The court found that the program, launched in 2014 and administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), contravenes California\u2019s landmark 1970 Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It does so, the court found, by failing to: assess and reduce damages of pesticide applications to bees, other pollinators, and water bodies; conduct site-specific environmental reviews; and notify the public before spraying is conducted. This decision is a victory, and a step toward a less-toxic California, say plaintiffs and many health and environmental advocates, including Beyond Pesticides. The history of CDFA\u2019s actions in the state is riddled with invocations of emergency provisions of California\u2019s Food and Agriculture Code. These emergency declarations have allowed CDFA to conduct pesticide spraying for invasive species nearly anywhere \u2014 in back yards, on school and recreational grounds, on organic farms, on public lands, and sometimes, across entire neighborhoods \u2014 without any analysis of the health and environmental impacts of those applications, or any notice to the public or opportunity to comment on the program. From 2014 to 2018, CDFA conducted more than [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,109,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california","category-invasive-species","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Appeal Court Strikes Down Hazardous Statewide California Pesticide Spray Program - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2021\/10\/appeal-court-strikes-down-hazardous-statewide-california-pesticide-spray-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Appeal Court Strikes Down Hazardous Statewide California Pesticide Spray Program - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Beyond Pesticides, October 22, 2021) The California Court of Appeal (Third District, Sacramento) has ruled that a statewide pesticide spraying program violates state law. The court found that the program, launched in 2014 and administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), contravenes California\u2019s landmark 1970 Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It does so, the court found, by failing to: assess and reduce damages of pesticide applications to bees, other pollinators, and water bodies; conduct site-specific environmental reviews; and notify the public before spraying is conducted. This decision is a victory, and a step toward a less-toxic California, say plaintiffs and many health and environmental advocates, including Beyond Pesticides. The history of CDFA\u2019s actions in the state is riddled with invocations of emergency provisions of California\u2019s Food and Agriculture Code. These emergency declarations have allowed CDFA to conduct pesticide spraying for invasive species nearly anywhere \u2014 in back yards, on school and recreational grounds, on organic farms, on public lands, and sometimes, across entire neighborhoods \u2014 without any analysis of the health and environmental impacts of those applications, or any notice to the public or opportunity to comment on the program. 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The court found that the program, launched in 2014 and administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), contravenes California\u2019s landmark 1970 Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). It does so, the court found, by failing to: assess and reduce damages of pesticide applications to bees, other pollinators, and water bodies; conduct site-specific environmental reviews; and notify the public before spraying is conducted. This decision is a victory, and a step toward a less-toxic California, say plaintiffs and many health and environmental advocates, including Beyond Pesticides. The history of CDFA\u2019s actions in the state is riddled with invocations of emergency provisions of California\u2019s Food and Agriculture Code. These emergency declarations have allowed CDFA to conduct pesticide spraying for invasive species nearly anywhere \u2014 in back yards, on school and recreational grounds, on organic farms, on public lands, and sometimes, across entire neighborhoods \u2014 without any analysis of the health and environmental impacts of those applications, or any notice to the public or opportunity to comment on the program. 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