Oregonians for Food and Shelter (OFS) has been hard at work since
our October update on the Lincoln County ballot measure that would ban aerial application.
The ballot measure, now labeled 21-177, will be on Lincoln County’s May 16, 2017 ballot and would ban aerial application, and potentially air-blast sprayers and a few other methods that deposit pesticides into the air. It would also allow citizens to use “direct action” to enforce the measure, which is defined as “any activities or actions carried out to directly enforce the rights and prohibitions contained within this law,” and would make such actions immune to civil and criminal charges.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners
opposes the measure and will place a statement in each voter pamphlet that reads “We acknowledge concerns within our community about the application of aerial pesticides and want to encourage deeper dialog within Lincoln County where we can arrive at common ground on protecting the public’s health. Measure 21-177 is not that approach… Measure 21-177 is not the proper tool to protect Lincoln County. We encourage a ‘no’ vote.”
The statement shows that county commissioners worry about several broadly-defined terms in the ballot measure, including “aerial,” “direct action,” (which the measure would give individuals the right to use to enforce the measure), and “corporations.”
Last weekend,
Citizens for a Healthy County published
an op-ed response to the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners in “The News Guard,” a Lincoln County newspaper, about “the hazards of aerial pesticide spraying.” The op-ed claims that terms like “aerial spraying” are not vague in the measure and that “direct action” would not allow individuals to take the law into their own hands.
The op-ed is also riddled with inaccuracies, such as the claim that “Any permitted aerial pesticide applications in Ore. requires that the holder of the permit have a currently valid FCC pilot's [license].”
This week, an environmental activist
published another op-ed, this time in Ore.’s second largest daily newspaper, The Register Guard. The op-ed claims helicopters are spraying “cancerous concoctions of herbicides” and that helicopters will spray 2,4-D, which is “half of what is known as Agent Orange…” The author continues “At least two schools in Lane County have herbicides flowing from their water fountains,” and encourages readers to sign an initiative to ban aerial application in Lane County.
To combat misinformation, OFS is working with Hilltop Public Solutions to campaign against the measure and will focus on building a broad coalition of trade associations, businesses, and industries ranging from fishing to timber to aerial application. They are looking to develop local spokespersons, a digital presence, and volunteers to further strengthen opposition to the measure.
As part of their digital strategy, OFS has launched
a website and
a Facebook page that you can “like” to support and stay up to date on the ballot measure.
With just seven weeks left until Lincoln County will vote on the ballot measure, NAAA will continue to work with OFS to help the public understand the harmful effects that a ban on aerial application would have on Lincoln County. This week, NAAA donated $2,000 to the effort to defeat the aerial application ballot measure.
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