Clouds of Doubt: Questions about enforcement of pesticide laws Listen to the story The Lopez family's story Investigating human exposure Undue corporate influence? Pesticide records are protected 'Same old, same old?' Ag Department resists changes Complaints of pesticide exposure filed with the Ag Department The state law on pesticide regulations The law prohibits human exposure Audio Pesticide legislation defeated (story audio) Ag Commissioner Hugoson on why the record-keeping is not needed Jeanette Brimmer, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, on why she thinks the bill failed Photos Tried to get pesticide records from Ag Department Ag Commissioner Gene Hugoson Sen. Becky Lourey More from MPR Clouds of Doubt: Questions about enforcement of pesticide laws (02/17/2003) Your Voice Join the conversation with other MPR listeners in the News Forum.

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Pesticide legislation defeated
by Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio
April 3, 2003

Nick Messer raises horses and dogs on a small farm in Todd County. He says he tried for months to get information about chemicals used on a tree farm next door. "The Ag Department and I went around and around and nothing ever became of it. And I just gave up." (MPR file photo)

Minnesota lawmakers have voted down proposed changes in state pesticide laws. The legislation would have expanded monitoring for pesticides in groundwater and would have made pesticide data public. It also would have increased fees paid by chemical companies who do business in the state. The legislation failed to pass House and Senate Agriculture committees Wednesday.

Moorhead, Minn — The legislation would have required the Minnesota Agriculture Department to collect and make public pesticide application records. It also would have transferred responsibility for monitoring pesticides in groundwater from the Agriculture Department to the Health Department.

To pay for the changes, chemical companies would have paid a larger fee when they registered a chemical for use in Minnesota.

During the Senate Ag Committee hearing Wednesday, Sen. Steve Dille, R-Dassel, called the legislation unnecessary.

	Ag Commissioner Gene Hugoson

"It's something I think the environmental groups have totally blown out of proportion," said Sen. Dille. "You're making us scared over a very minor thing. I just think it's not necessary to force the DNR, farmers and commercial applicators to go to this extra record-keeping. The benefit just isn't there."

A compromise amendment that would have made pesticide records available only to medical doctors, veterinarians and university researchers was rejected.

Sen. Becky Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, authored the Senate bill. She argued the citizens of Minnesota have a right to know what kind of chemicals are used around the state.

"I just believe this is really, really important to know what we're doing. We've got to know what we're doing," said Sen. Lourey. "And if we have the ability to research easier on a computer, than going back to people's paper records and digging through them, we will be able make better judgments in the future."

Lourey says the data could be important to investigating public health issues.

A companion bill failed to pass the House Agriculture committee late Wednesday.

Jeanette Brimmer, legal director for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, testified in support of the legislation to open pesticide records and increase groundwater monitoring. Brimmer said it's clear there are deep divisions over what kind of pesticide regulation is appropriate.

	Sen. Becky Lourey

"We have some work to do to help folks understand protecting public health does not mean bans. We've never suggested a ban on pesticides. We understand they have an economic place," said Brimmer. "So I am hopeful that while it is divisive, education and continuing to come at it from a high level of debate will help overcome what I think is simply just fears."

Brimmer said she will lobby for the legislation again next year, when lawmakers plan to bring up the issue again.

Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson said the proposed legislation is simply unnecessary. In fact, Hugoson said the Ag Department gets good marks from the federal government for monitoring of pesticide use and enforcement of pesticide laws.

"We've had a draft letter that has come from EPA as part of their oversight of our responsibilities, conveying that in fact we are doing what is intended to be done," said Hugoson.

Hugoson said collecting and maintaining pesticide applicator records would be unnecessary and too expensive. Hugoson contends any fee increases to chemical companies would be passed on to farmers who are already struggling financially.

Hugoson said state law already makes pesticide records available in emergencies, or in cases that require enforcement action. He's concerned about collecting all records and making them public.

"If it's clearly for something that needs to be used for enforcement purposes or for emergency purposes, that's one thing," said Hugoson. "If in fact it's in order to find out what your neighbor is doing or what a competitor is doing, or even for cases of harassment kinds of things, that becomes a whole different story."

Hugoson expects the debate over Minnesota pesticide laws to continue. He said he welcomes the discussion.

Lawmakers and environmentalists said they will continue to press for more monitoring and reporting of pesticide use in the state.

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