A small state panel that tracks pesticide exposures and is considered a national pioneer -- but caused political heartburn for Gov. Chris Gregoire -- is being eliminated just as research it supported is revealing pesticide spraying close enough to homes harms residents.
Seeking to close a budget gap of $5.7 billion, Gregoire's proposed budget calls for eliminating the Pesticide Incident Review and Tracking panel, or PIRT. It spent about $13,000 last year and was budgeted at $10,000 this year.
The panel, composed mostly of state employees, identifies shortcomings in laws to protect the public from dangerous pesticide exposures.
At the same time Gregoire proposes to eliminate the panel, her budget slashes by about half the staff of the Department of Health unit that investigates how pesticides affect public health.
Meanwhile, though, Gregoire's budget leaves standing the Pesticide Advisory Board, an industry-dominated committee that advises the Department of Agriculture.
"I'm concerned. (PIRT) is the only resource that looks at health impacts of pesticides on people in our state," said state Rep. Zack Hudgins, D-Tukwila. "No matter what you believe about how safe pesticides are, not having the data hurts you."
The panel became a flashpoint last year after agricultural interests pushed for Gregoire to appoint a toxicologist with ties to the pesticide industry. Industry officials said the panel was too one-sided.
But Gregoire's appointment of the toxicologist, who previously worked at Dow Chemical and still collaborated with scientists there, set off protests by environmentalists.
The toxicologist, Charles Timchalk of Pacific Northwest National Laboratories in Richland, decided not to accept the appointment. The episode ruffled feathers both of Gregoire's agricultural and environmental supporters just as she was struggling to win re-election.
Eight months later, the position remains open.
Karina Shagren, a spokeswoman for Gregoire, said the Timchalk incident didn't affect the governor's thinking.
"With a $5.7 billion deficit, the governor had to look at every board and commission," Shagren said. "There was no board or commission being targeted."
Full story: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/398832_pesticides05.html
