Pesticide Regulation Agency Sued by Activists
Accusing state regulators of two decades of neglect, environmental watchdogs sued the California Department of Pesticide Regulation on Wednesday for allegedly failing to enforce a law aimed at monitoring and reducing the amount of pesticide that pollutes the air.
The suit, filed in Sacramento County Superior Court, accuses the agency of failing to fulfill a 1984 mandate to review all pesticides as potential air contaminants and regulate those found to jeopardize public health.
In the 20 years that the law has been on the books, the lawsuit said, the department has completed that review for only four agricultural chemicals. More than 900 pesticides are registered for use in California, the lawsuit said.
“They are not doing their job,” said Mati Waiya, executive director of the Oxnard-based Wishtoyo Foundation. The group is one of seven plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
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