SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — Starting late March 2025, residents can receive electronic notifications about agricultural pesticide use in their area.
- The state's Department of Pesticide Regulation is set to implement a new pesticide notification rule starting February 2025.
- Residents will be notified electronically about pesticide use in their area.
- The rule, known as DPR 23-003, is the first of its kind in the United States.
- Public input and ongoing comments will help shape the program over the next three years.
- The initiative aims to improve transparency around pesticide use in rural areas throughout the state.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact-checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
Broadcast transcript:
It's no secret that Ag is big here in Kern County, and with Ag comes pesticides. I'm Sam Hoyle, your Shafter neighborhood reporter, starting early next year, you'll be able to find out what pesticide is being sprayed in your area.
The Statewide Notification of Agricultural Use of Restricted Materials from the Department of Pesticide Regulation, is the first program of its kind across the country and gives residents access to know what's being sprayed around them.
"The only change to existing regulations is that there's a requirement in the regulation for notices of intent to be submitted electronically to the County Ag Commissioner through a system called Cal ag permits, except in the cases of undue hardships, everything else around when and how n-o-i's are currently submitted will not change," said Leia Bailey, DPR's Deputy Director of Communication and Outreach.
That's Leia Bailey, Deputy Director of Communication and Outreach for the Department of Pesticide Regulation, who said this system has been in the works for several years in response to public input. At the center of that input has been Byanka Santoyo, the community organizer for the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment. Santoyo says the spur behind this change was public input surrounding AB 617 and increased air monitoring for pesticides, and now to see the change to the regulations to show citizens in rural areas, is a dream come true.
"It's one out of the entire nation. It's, it's a miracle coming from an agriculture area, especially from the valley that we're finally seeing a notification come out. It's, it's important. It says precedence that community members are able to do whatever they desire, as long as they put in their effort and their heart and dedication," said Santoyo.
However, both Bailey and Santoyo noted with this program being the first of its kind, there will likely be kinks to work out, which is why DPR is accepting public comment on the program for the next three years to be factored into changes made yearly, culminating in a comprehensive three-year study of the program.
"There's a lot of mechanisms in place to make sure that this system is working the way that it's anticipated to work, and to get input from the public to make sure that we can continue to improve," said Bailey. "It still needs a lot of work to be done, but I think it does show that there's work in our communities and the effort that we're doing, it's not fighting against big corporations or big companies. It's working together to make a better healthy cities," said Santoyo.
The early stages of this program go into effect in late February, with the full rollout happening in late March. To read the new rule from DPR, we'll have that linked in this story, online.
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