With California …. agreeing to ban its sale, environmentalists in New York are renewing their call for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign a bill that would eliminate the agricultural use of chlorpyrifos, an insecticide that came into heavy use after DDT was banned in the 1970s.
Under the Trump Administration, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has resisted calls for a ban even though it’s been disallowed for household use since 2000. That has sparked a lawsuit from Attorney General Letitia James as well as AGs from five other states.
Activists have been pushing for Cuomo to sign the bill since August when they sent an open letter to the governor.
“Why haven’t we banned it? The answer is Donald Trump, plain and simple,” said Tyler Smith, a staff scientist with EarthJustice, one of 80 groups pushing for the ban in New York.
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Not everyone is for the ban.
“This bill would negatively impact a variety of farmers and farm types. Farmers rely on pesticides to combat against destructive pests,” said Cynthia Haskins, president and CEO of the New York Apple Association, a trade group for apple growers.
Read full, original article: Activists urge Cuomo to sign pesticide ban in New York
