To All
Thanks for the input and ideas on how to proceed with our pesticide drift complaint. It is a sad state of politics in Maryland when a family has to spend every last nickel defending their right to live without interference and chemical trespas of a inconsiderate neighbor. Unforntunatly, the state of Maryland has decreed, via the Maryland Department of Agriculture, that the drift of paraquat, 2,4-D, atrazine, and dozens of other chemicals, into our home and onto our property is not as important as a few hundred dollars profit to be made by the farmer. I have taken a close look at the procedures and policies of the MDA over the passed 10 years- since we have been seeking help with this problem. It appears that the one state agency chartered with the enforcement of pesticide regulations, be it federal or state regs, is also chartered with the promotion and advocation of the agriculture industry. The MDA is responsible for enforcing regulations on an industry that sees these regulations as an impediment to their profits. I have learned that the farmer causing the problems has a cousin who is chairman of an MDA commission and has an office just down the hall form the Pesticide Regulation Department. It is clear why the MDA will not take action against this farmer. It is clear why the MDA has refused to investigate complaints that would provide indisputable evidence that this farmer is violating pesticide application laws. It is clear why the MDA has rejected evidence, and misrepresented labeling requirements in order to find no wrong doing. It is clear why the Chief of the Pesticide Regulation Depart. is trying to squash our complaints by sending correspondence to other agencies that are outright lies and hide the facts. Our options are clear, we can risk all and fight this self-proclaimed "Steward of the Land" and "pillar of the community" or we can try to sell our home and tree farm and start over. One thing is clear, if we lose in court the farmer and his applicators will have the satisfaction of knowing that the MDA will support them no matter how obvious the violations. Maybe the Chief of the MDA Pesticide Regulation Department was right when she was overheard to say that if I didn't like pesticides I shouldn't have moved to the county- I don't think so.
Jim Baseman
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Mar 12 2000 - 14:00:33 EST