Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1963, a contentious measure seeking to limit the use of paraquat. The bill began as an outright ban on the herbicide but was watered down in the Senate Agriculture Committee. It now requires the Califronia Department of Pesticide Regulation to complete a reevaluation of paraquat by 2029.
A coalition of more than a dozen ag groups opposed the legislation. They argued the bill oversteps the scientific review process and would pull critical resources from other DPR duties, such as registering alternatives to paraquat. Ag lobbyists pointed to more than 1,200 studies spanning decades that have confirmed the pesticide carries low human health risks.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here
Newsom, however, has notched a series of pesticide bans throughout his tenure and stayed on par this year. The Legislature this summer approved his dramatic increase to the mill assessment, and he is looking to the new revenues to finance the paraquat review.
Yet Newsom twisted many of the industry arguments in his favor. In a signing statement, Newsom said he believes DPR should be selecting the pesticides for reevaluation through a data-driven process. He asserted it should be a public endeavor and consider factors like available alternatives.
“We must allow DPR to utilize this process,” he wrote, arguing such an approach is critical for implementing his sustainable pest management objective. That agenda seeks to eliminate the use of certain controversial pesticides.
