October 7th Update
Visión 2C Resource Council, Intermountain Fair Housing Council, American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, and Immigrant Justice Idaho submitted the following comment to Idaho State Department of Agriculture.
August 11th Update
The deadline for public comment has been extended! You can now submit your comments through Thursday August 13th.
August 7th Update
Update on the pesticide rulemaking process
Thank you once again to everyone who sent in comments during the first window of public comments on the proposed changes to pesticide regulation in Idaho. However, if you missed the opportunity the first time around, here’s another chance!
The second round of public comments is currently open and will close on Tuesday, August 11th. While our team is asking for an extension so that more of the public can participate, we suggest getting your comments in early just to be safe. The link below will take you to a quick and easy form that allows you to send comments directly to the Deputy Director of the Idaho Department of Agriculture. The process will only take a few minutes and will add your voice to what happens in our communities. We strongly encourage you to customize the email with any personal experience, stories, and concerns. Personalized letters are so important!
If you have any questions please email Breland Draper at bdraper@iorcinfo.org. You can find a copy of the current pesticide rule revisions here.
The Idaho Organization of Resource Councils is involved in working to protect farmworkers who help feed us, community members, and the environment from irresponsible uses of pesticides. Pesticides when applied negligently are a hazard to public health as seen last May of 2019, where two dozen workers and their families were poisoned in Canyon County by drift. IORC has been working hard in voicing our concerns on weak rule language and making sure that regulations are not cut or altered in favor of big ag over farmworker safety. During the 2020 legislative session, we were able to stop bad legislation sponsored by the Idaho Agricultural Aviation Association, but now the Idaho State Department of Agriculture is holding negotiated rulemaking to alter the existing state laws on pesticide use. We are calling on all IORC members and supporters to keep up to date on this issue and take action where needed.
