NY Pesticide Legislation NEEDS YOUR HELP!

[Guest guest]

Please send this on to EVERYONE you know!

Legislation (S.6335-A;Marcellino) to examine the particular

hazards of pesticide use in urban areas, make recommendations

to reduce it, and require that pesticide applicators

be trained in non-toxic pest management techniques

is hung up in the New York State Senate after passing

the Assembly. Please contact the Senate sponsor, Senator

Carl Marcellino, and ask him to stop delaying and to

bring his bill up for a vote.

You can take action on this alert either via email

(please see directions below) or via the web at:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/stop_urban_pesticidess/iw6bgn2078xm78

Visit the web address below and tell your friends to

take action on this important campaign!

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/stop_urban_pesticidess/forward/iw6bgn2078x

m78

We encourage you to take action by July 10, 2002

Protect Urban Residents from Pesticides

----------------------

For most people, the word pesticide conjures rural

images of cornfields, orchards, and vegetable farms.

Beginning in 1999, with the first appearance of West

Nile virus in the New York City region, urban dwellers

may have also added aerial and truck spraying for mosquito

control to that mental picture.

But the real story about pesticides in New York State

is the enormity of urban pesticide use - everyday,

routine applications of powerful poisons in apartments,

offices, schools, and parks - and in particular, the

enormous amount used in New York City. For example,

according to two years of pesticide reporting data

(1997 and 1998) collected under a 1996 state statute,

New York City leads the state in the total amount applied

each year, accounting for 36% of the total gallons

and 27% of the total pounds reported statewide in 1998,

while occupying less than 1% of the state's geographic

area.

Moreover, the pesticides reported in the city are highly

hazardous, and much of their use occurs indoors, where

pesticides can cling to carpets and upholstery for

months or even years, and exposure can be round-the-clock.

S.6335-A, like its Assembly counterpart A.1746-D ()

which has already passed that house, would require

that the particular hazards of and alternatives to

pesticide use in urban areas be examined by a temporary

pest management board under the auspices of the New

York State Department of Health. It would also amend

the requirements for pesticide applicator certification

to require training in non-toxic means of pest management.

This would ensure that pest control operators would

be able to provide services without relying on toxic

chemicals.

In a year when fiscal and other concerns have stalled

action on so many initiatives, this bill represents

an eminently doable policy change, for virtually no

cost, that would greatly improve the lives of people

across the state. Senator Marcellino, the sponsor of

S.6335-A, however, has not moved his own bill in his

house, despite the fact that he chairs the Senate Environmental

Conservation Committee. He needs to know that the citizens

of New York State want this legislation and the public

health improvements it promises, and will not accept

pointless delay.

----------------------

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:

If you have access to a web browser, you can take action

on this alert by going to the following URL:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/stop_urban_pesticidess/iw6bgn2078xm78

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:

Just choose the " reply to sender " option on your email

program, and edit the letter below as you wish. Do

not delete " -YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW- " and " -END

OF LETTER- " . Please do not add your name and address

to your letter. Our system automatically does this

for you.

We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to

our sample letter below, and put the alert talking

points into your own words. An individualized letter

is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,

hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large

impact, so please reply even if you don't have time

to personalize the letter.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:

Senator Carl Marcellino

-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------

The pesticide reporting data collected in New York

State have revealed the shockingly high level of hazardous

pesticide use in urban areas of this state and highlighted

the risks to city dwellers. While you have demonstrated

your concern over these revelations by introducing

S.6335-A, this bill has still not moved in the Senate

this session and a golden opportunity to make real

progress on an important public health issue is slipping

away.

The Assembly has passed its counterpart to this bill

-- A-1746-D () -- and now it is time for the

Senate to act as well. Please bring your bill up for

a vote so that New Yorkers can be better protected

against the use of these hazardous chemicals. In a

year when fiscal and other concerns have stalled action

on so many initiatives, this bill represents an eminently

doable policy change, for virtually no cost, that would

greatly improve the lives of people across the state.

There is no reason for delay.

-------END OF LETTER-------------------------

Sincerely yours,

Your Name

Your Address

CC: Senator ph Bruno