JUNEAU (AP) - Spraying pesticides near parks, government buildings and other public places would require public notification under a proposal in the Legislature.
Pesticide manufacturers also would pay up to $120 to register the chemicals for sale in the state. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage, said Alaska is the only state that does not charge pesticide manufacturers a registration fee for distribution.
He said Alaska's pesticide registration program is paid for by the state at a cost of about $110,000 a year. His bill would shift the expense to the pesticide manufacturers.
Meyer said about 5,700 different chemicals are registered with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The bill would charge $85 to $120 to register most pesticides. It also gives DEC the discretion to waive or reduce the registration fees for chemicals that are not commonly used, Meyer said.
The bill was approved Wednesday by the House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Meyer, who suffers from asthma, said from a public safety standpoint, Alaskans should have the right to know if pesticides are being sprayed in parks and other public spaces.
"I have two small children and certainly some of these chemicals they shouldn't be exposed to," he said.
The public places that would require notification of spraying include apartment buildings, multiunit complexes, government offices open to the public, plazas, parks and public sport fields.
Environmental Health Director Kristin Ryan said the public notice likely would be posted on signs in areas and on fliers in residential areas, listing the type of chemicals used and when the spraying will occur.
Alaska Community Action on Toxics, an advocacy group in Anchorage, supports the bill but said child care centers, hospitals, health clinics and nursing homes should be added to the notification list.
"We believe the public has the right to know when they are going to be exposed to something like that," said the group's executive director Pam Miller.
She said the notification list ultimately should include every place where people are "living, working and playing."
Meyer said he would consider expanding the bill to include other public areas once it is taken up by the Senate.
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The bill is HB 19.
