Subject: PANUPS

From: Pesticide Action Network North America Reg Ctr <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 93 18:23:05 PST

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PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK NORTH AMERICA UPDATES SERVICE
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California Establishes Methyl Bromide Task Force

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and the 
Department of Agriculture (DFA) have convened a statewide Task 
Force to deal with the pending loss of methyl bromide, a widely used 
fumigant pesticide slated for listing under the Clean Air Act as an 
ozone depleting chemical.  Under the provisions of the Clean Air Act, 
U.S. production of methyl bromide will be frozen this year at 1991 
levels, and all U.S. uses of the fumigant must be phased out by the year 
2000 without exception.  

The first meeting of the California Methyl Bromide Research Task 
Force was held on February 2.  At this meeting, Co-chairs James Wells 
(Director of DPR) and Henry Voss (Director of DFA) stressed to 
members that their goal is to facilitate the development of alternatives 
to methyl bromide in California, vs. debating the phase out decision or 
the science upon which it is based.  The Task Force is charged with 
assessing national and international research to determine the status of 
available alternatives for use in California; identifying areas of research 
that need further investigation; and preparing a report of findings and 
recommendations to the two convening agencies. 

The 28 member Task Force includes representatives of the stateUs 
agricultural and research communities, commercial pest control 
companies, chemical companies, environmental organizations and 
several farmers.  Environmental and public interest organizations 
currently represented on the Task Force are Californians for 
Alternatives to Toxics, California Institute for Rural Studies, and 
California Rural Legal Assistance.  According to DPR Special Assistant 
Tobi Jones, a limited number of new members may be added to the 
Task Force, based on ability to contribute to technical aspects of Task 
Force mandates.  

At the February 2 meeting, U.S. EPA Office of Atmospheric Programs 
staff Bill Thomas presented the agencyUs plans to list and phase out 
methyl bromide and efforts to fund alternatives research.  Californians 
for Alternatives to Toxics Director Patricia Clary described the process 
to establish a timetable for a global phase out of methyl bromide under 
the United Nations Montreal Protocol.  Several Task Force members 
stressed the urgency of accelerating research in order to have 
alternative management regimes and control methods available by the 
phase out deadline; quarantine uses were mentioned as particularly  
critical.  Criteria for acceptable alternatives were also discussed.  DFA 
official Don Henry described the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
methyl bromide research plan, which focuses on controlling emissions 
from currently registered uses, and said DFA has funded a study of 
anticipated economic impacts of the phase out by University of 
California economist Jerry Siebert, which is now undergoing final 
edits.  

California Methyl Bromide Research Task Force meetings are expected 
to be held on an approximately bi-monthly schedule; the next meeting 
has not been scheduled.  

Contacts:

Patricia Clary, Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, 860 1/2 11th 
Street, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.  tel: (707) 822-8497, fax: (707) 822-0827

Will Allen, California Institute for Rural Studies, 922 J Street, Suite 223, 
Modesto, CA 95354, USA.  tel: (202) 544-9677, fax: (209) 892-7158

Tobi Jones, Special Assistant, California DPR, P.O. Box 942871, 
Sacramento, CA 94271-0001, USA.  tel: (916) 657-4490, fax: (916) 654-7667

Carl DeWing, CDFA Communications, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, CA 
95814, USA.  tel: (916) 654-0462, fax: (916) 654-7667

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This information is provided by the Pesticide Action Network North 
America Updates Service (PANUPS), a pesticide-related news service from the
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North American Regional Center. Updates are
posted weekly on EcoNet in "en.pesticides," "en.agriculture" and other
appropriate electronic conferences, and 
distributed worldwide across the APC computer network. PANUPS is also posted in
the Public Conference on RTK NET, on GeoNet in the 
PESTICIDES-BBS bulletin board, on FidoNet in The Ecology Network, on the
Sustainable Agriculture Network (SANET) on BitNet, and on PENpages agriculture
information service at Penn State Univ. Hard-copy compilations of these updates
are also available. For more information about PAN activities and publications,
contact: PAN NA RC, 965 Mission Street #514, San Francisco, CA 94103. Tel: (415)
541-9140. Fax: (415) 541-9253. Telex: 156283472 PANNA. E-mail address on EcoNet:
[email-masked]
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