Subject: Re: Safe rat poison (more)
Date: Feb 24 23:14:28 1997
From: "Christy Anderson" - christya at gte.net


I am so glad you are publicizing this bill. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I was
amazed at the self-serving nature of the sponsors. They are telling
government agencies that they can't educate us. I have been involved in
teaching the public about household hazardous products, and know the
interest and the need is certainly there. This is an issue that affects our
air, soil and water, therefore birds and all of us.

The correct URL is http://leginfo.leg.wa.gov .

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> From: Michael Seamans (Write Stuff) <a-mikese at microsoft.com>
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: FW: Safe rat poison (more)
> Date: Monday, February 24, 1997 8:53 AM
>
> Recalling the recent thread on safe rat poison, Tweeters may be
> interested in Washington State House Bill 1602, scheduled for a hearing
> this Wednesday (Feb. 26) at 6 PM in the Labor and Commerce Committee
> (John O'Brien office bldg, Olympia).
>
> > This bill, pushed by the Chemical Specialties Manufacturing
> > Association, would effectively prohibit state and local government
> > agencies from giving out information on consumer product substitutes
> > or household hazardous wastes. It would specifically bar
> > recommendations about using anything as a pesticide unless the product
> > was registered with EPA as a pesticide -- thus, non-chemical pest
> > controls or soaps, etc.
> >
> > In other words, no government agency in Washington would be able to
> > provide information about environmentally-friendly cleaning products,
> > integrated pest management, using latex rather than oil paint, etc.
> > For example, when Seattle residents bring in cans of paint,
> > pesticides, etc, to the Household Hazardous Waste unit of the Solid
> > Waste department for disposal, the folks working there would not be
> > able to suggest alternatives for future use unless they were
> > registered with the EPA. If there are safer alternatives to rat
> > poison, no one in government would be able to tell you about them.
> > (Just think if the US government were prohibited from talking about
> > the dangers of cigarettes.)
> >
> > There was a short hearing already, at which Seattle, King County, the
> > American Lung Association, the Washington Toxics Coalition, and the
> > Tilth Society among others opposed the bill. The Chlorox Co. and
> > Chemical Specialties Manufacturers Assn. favored it.
> >
> > You can get bill text and legislator info at
> > http://www.leginfo.leg.wa.gov. (This site was not working for me this
> > morning, but hopefully it will come back up.) You may want to go to
> > the hearing, write a letter, or contact your legislator or committee
> > members --- most of the bill's sponsors and the committee members are
> > from central and eastern Washington (three are from the Yakima
> > Valley). You can write the Committee Chair, Cathy McMorris
> > (R-Colville) at P.O. Box 40600, Olympia WA 98504-0600. Other committee
> > members: Honeyford (R-Sunnyside), Conway (D-Tacoma), Wood (D-Spokane),
> > Boldt (R-Vancouver), Clements (R-Yakima/Selah), Cole (D-Shoreline),
> > Hatfield(D-Raymond), Lisk (R-Zillah). Bill sponsors are Schoesler
> > (Adams, Whtman county), Huff (Kitsap, Pierce county), Chandler
> > (Kittitas), and committee members Lisk, Clements, and Honeyford.
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Mike Seamans
> > Seattle