Kansas legislators discuss hunting regulations amid concerns over nonresident land purchases Kansas legislators address hunting rights and competition with nonresident land buyers.

Kansas hunters could soon gain critical protections as lawmakers tackle the rising competition from non-resident land buyers impacting local access and conservation.

Learn more here!

#KS #HuntingAccess #LocalRights #ConservationEfforts #KansasHunters #CitizenPortal

Our View: Pesticide policy should be set at local level In the final farm bill, Congress should jettison a provision that would stop Mainers from making their own decisions on the use of insecticides.

"Maybe it’s because we’re from the oldest state in the nation, but we’re happy to tell the federal government to get off our lawn."
Great editorial from @PressHerald opposing federal pesticide preemption in 2018 farm bill
#localrights #opposepreemption

pressherald.com/2018/09/28/our…

Farm bill hurts ability of communities to protect health, environment of citizens As elected officials, we strongly oppose congressional interference in our mandate to protect our communities’ health and environment.

Thank you to Mayors Ethan Strimling of Portland, ME and Linda C Cohen of South Portland, ME for standing up for #localrights and opposing federal pesticide preemption in the 2018 Farm Bill!@mayorstrim @cohenforsp #FarmBill

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Over 60 Local Officials Call on Congress to Protect Local Authority to Restrict Toxic Pesticides in the Farm Bill - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, September 13, 2018) House proposal would wipe out communities’ power to restrict pesticides. In an effort to protect the rights of communities nationwide, over 60 local officials from across the country sent a letter to Congress today opposing a farm bill provision that takes away local governments’ authority to restrict hazardous pesticides. The signatories are urging the farm bill conference committee to reject a “poison pill” rider that will preempt local governments, making the entire legislation unacceptable. Section 9101 of the House version of the farm bill will institute federal preemption of local pesticide policies, a move that will overturn a decades-old Supreme Court decision and prevent communities from adopting protective laws that meet the needs of their residents or unique local environment. The letter urges the conference committee to reach an agreement on a final 2018 farm bill that does not include this rider. It was signed by over 60 local officials in 39 communities from 15 different states, ranging from North Miami, FL to South Euclid, OH, West Hollywood, CA and Maui, HI. The County Council of Montgomery County, MD, which passed a landmark policy on toxic pesticides, also sent a letter to the farm bill conference committee. […]

Over 60 Local Officials Call on #Congress to Protect Local Authority to Restrict Toxic #Pesticides in the Farm Bill#FarmBill #nopreemptionrider #localrights

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Groups Defend Local Right to Protect Children and Community from Pesticides; Lawn Care Industry Attacks Local Authority - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, June 25, 2018) Ten organizations filed an Amicus brief last week in support of a 2015 landmark Montgomery County, Maryland ordinance that restricts the use of toxic pesticides on public and private land within its jurisdiction. The law, intended to protect children, pets, wildlife, and the wider environment from the hazards of lawn and landscape pesticide use, is on appeal from a Circuit Court ruling in August 2017 which struck down aspects of the ordinance that apply to private property. The Montgomery County Council decided to appeal the Circuit Court ruling based on an outpouring of public support, and the advice of its legal team that the County has a reasonable chance of prevailing. The case will now be heard in front of the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland. The plaintiffs in the case, which include the pesticide industry group Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), local chemical lawn care companies, and a few individuals, allege that the local ordinance is preempted by state law, despite the fact that Maryland is one of seven states that has not explicitly taken away (or preempted) local authority to restrict pesticides more stringently than the state. The law at […]

Groups File Amicus in Support of Montgomery County, MD #Pesticide Restrictions#Localdemocracy #preemption #localrights #health #lawncare #HealthyLawns

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Local Democracy Wins Again as Pesticide Preemption Bill Is Voted Down in Maine - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, April 5, 2018) An industry-backed attempt to enact pesticide preemption in the state of Maine is officially over after bill LD 1853 was voted down by a 9-2 margin earlier this week.  The bill, introduced by state Senator Tom Saviello (R-Wilton), resembled a similar bill that failed in the same legislative committee last spring. With an ever increasing number of communities in Maine stepping up to protect their residents and unique local environment from pesticide contamination, the repeated introduction of preemption legislation means that health advocates and forward-thinking communities must continue to remain vigilant, and ready to fight to maintain their right to home rule. LD 1853 would have taken away the rights of Maine municipalities to enact policies which wholly apply to private property. “I thought if there was a bill that would come back before us again it would be different,” said state Representative Richard Pickett (R-Dixfield) to the Portland Press Herald. “But we virtually had almost a duplicate bill and that troubled me.” While last year’s failed legislation was modeled almost word for word from the notorious industry lobby group the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the changes in the new bill were superficial, and […]

Local Democracy Wins Again as #Pesticide Preemption Bill Is Voted Down in Maine#homerule #grassroots #health #environment #localrights

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Local Pesticide Ordinances Under Attack in the State of Maine - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, May 10, 2017) Local authority to restrict pesticides is under attack in Maine, as Governor Paul LePage has introduced a bill that would explicitly preempt the right of municipal governments to restrict pesticide use on private property. The bill, LD 1505, mirrors chemical industry efforts to suppress or preempt local democratic action to adopt public health and environmental protections in order to allow the unimpeded marketing of hazardous products. Those industry groups that are leading the charge to preempt local government action have a vested economic interest in selling toxic products and services and stifling the market from moving toward greener alternatives. Passage of the bill in Maine would serve as a huge blow to many local communities that currently regulate pesticides more stringently than the state, as the bill also includes language voiding any local regulations that predate the bill. Communities that restrict pesticides recognize that pesticides released in the environment know no boundaries, so that use can contaminate air, water, and land throughout the community. The effort in Maine to preempt local pesticide ordinances is likely being advanced by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), given that the language is modeled after the organization’s State Pesticide Preemption Act, drafted […]

Local #Pesticide Ordinances Under Attack in the State of #Maine#preemption #ALEC #localrights

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Industry Challenges Local Maryland Restrictions of Lawn Pesticides as Preempted by State - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog (Beyond Pesticides, November 30, 2016) A landmark Montgomery County, Maryland ordinance, which protects children, pets, wildlife, and the wider environment from the hazards of unnecessary lawn and landscape pesticide use, is facing a legal challenge filed last week by the industry group Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE). The plaintiffs, which include local chemical lawn care companies and a few individuals, allege that the local ordinance is preempted by state law, despite the fact that Maryland is one of  seven states  that has not explicitly taken away (or preempted) local authority to restrict pesticides more stringently than the state. This challenge comes on the heels of a recent decision by the 9th  U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down local laws in Hawaii aimed at protecting the environment from toxic pesticide use. An industry victory in Maryland state court would significantly impact the ability of local communities in Maryland to exercise their democratic right to adopt local public health and environmental protections that go above and beyond state and federal regulations that are deemed inadequate. The bill at issue, 52-14, which bans the cosmetic lawn care use of toxic pesticides on public and private land, protects over one […]

Industry Challenges Local #Maryland Restrictions of Lawn #Pesticides as Preempted by State #Health #LocalRights

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