Toxic Free News

Toxic Free NC and our allies are working on some important legislation this year. Here’s a quick run-down:

S 1067, Sustainable Local Food Policy Council (Sen. Albertson), would create a 24-member council to study and expand the production and consumption of sustainably-produced, local food in North Carolina. The bill has already passed the state Senate and is now being considered in the House.
>>More information.
>>Bill text on line.

H 684, Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (Rep. Harrison), would make some technical improvements to the Agricultural Development & Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, an important conservation and economic development tool for small farmers in our state. This bill has passed the House and is under consideration in the Senate; however the funding for this trust is in question as the state struggles with a record financial crisis, and House members debate their portion of the budget.
>>More information.
>>Bill text on line.

H 1052, Strengthen Pesticide Law for Workers (Sen. Blue) would give farm workers some important, basic workplace protections that all other workers already enjoy. It would allow them to make confidential complaints of pesticide problems on the job, and would create a higher category of penalties for serious offenses. The Department of Agriculture has so far been blocking action on this bill, and we are not optimistic about its chances this year.
>>More information.
>>Bill text on line.

H 823, Limit Toxic Flame Retardants Containing PBDE’s (Rep. Harrison), would eliminate the hazardous flame retardant decaPBDE from consumer products like home furnishings, mattresses and electronics, and provide incentives to manufacturers who come up with non-chemical solutions. PBDE’s are extremely long-lived in the environment, build up in human tissue, including breast milk, contaminate water and wildlife, and are associated with a range of potential health impacts. Many manufacturers, like Sony, HP and Ikea, have already removed these chemicals from their products. Alternatives to PBDE’s are already available, including making products from materials that are inherently flame-resistant. North Carolina would join a growing list of states in taking decaPBDE off the market. This bill is currently under consideration in the House Health committee.
>>More information.
>>Bill text on line.

Legislators need to hear from you about these important matters. You can look up your state House and Senate members’ contact information here. You can also join with others by becoming an Ambassador for Just and Sustainable Agriculture – click here to learn more. If you’d like our staff to come talk to your church, book club or other community group about one or any of these legislative issues, please let us know – we’d love to help get more people involved. Thanks for taking action!

Toxic Free News is a publication of
Toxic Free NC
206 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 833-5333, Toll-free 1-877-NO-SPRAY
, http://www.toxicfreenc.org

Mission: Toxic Free NC advocates for alternatives to toxic pesticides in North Carolina by empowering people to make sound decisions about their health and environment.

Staff: Ana Duncan Pardo, Communications Coordinator; Billie Karel, Program Coordinator; Fawn Pattison, Executive Director; Christopher Grohs, Special Events Intern; Amy Freitag, Outreach Coordinator Intern; Natalia Posthill, Outreach Coordinator Intern; Claudin Mangum, Farm to Child Care Intern.

Board of Directors: Colleen Boudreau, Treasurer; Ghassan Hamra; Laxmi Haynes; Mindy Hiteshue; Cathy Jones; Michelle Nowlin, President-Elect; Annie O'Leary; Katherine M. Shea, President; Allen Spalt, Immediate Past President.
Emeritus Board Members: Billie Rogers, Jane Sharp MacRae, Erick Umstead.

Community Leadership Council: Melissa Bailey, Mary James, Anna Jensen, Silvia Peterson, Juvencio Rocha Peralta.

Legislative Update