Coastal Post Online
MARIN COUNTY'S NEWS
MONTHLY - FREE PRESS
(415)868-1600 -
(415)868-0502(fax) - P.O. Box 31, Bolinas, CA, 94924
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PG&E Spray Alert!
Folks in Westhaven (northern Humboldt County) found PG&E's contractor Trees, Inc spraying poles in a light rain early on President's Day just a few yards above a year-around stream. Neighborhood opposition convinced PG&E to suspend spraying of 24 roadside poles in the Trinidad/Westhaven area but plans to go forward with spraying poles along county roads and state highways throughout our region. PG&E will continue to give property owners the option to not allow spraying on poles located on private property, something renters should be aware of if poles are located on the property they rent.
PG&E is using a chemical mix of herbicides and chemicals that promote the herbicides' potency. Mixed together and sprayed heavily around the base of poles and out for several feet are: - Landmark XPx (active ingredients sulfometruon methyl and chlorsulfuron, chemicals so potent that tiny amounts are used), - Gallery 75DF (active ingredient isoxaben, EPA says its a possible carcinogen and California lists it as a potential groundwater contaminant), - Accord (active ingredient glyphosate of Roundup infamy) and two chemical mixtures, In - Place and Syl-Tac, which promote the killing efficacy of the entire mix. One witness in Westhaven could smell the chemicals from 10 feet away and taste it for an hour after being exposed.
What to do? Contact PG&E at your local office and demand a stop to power pole spraying. Find out if there are plans to spray near your home, work, kids' school or wherever you care about and tell PG&E to remove those weeds with a string trimmer. Manual ground clearing is the viable and safe option.
PG&E is notorious for having hard to find phone numbers. Here are a couple to try on the North Coast: 707-445-5668 & 707-445-5519
Contact: Patty Clary, Director
Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, 315 P Street, Eureka, CA 95501
707.445.5100 ext 205