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505 West Northern Lights,
Suite 205
Anchorage, Alaska
99503
(907) 222-7714 (phone);
(907) 222-7715 (fax)
www.akaction.org
News
Release
CONTACT:
Thursday March 1,
2007 Pamela
Miller, ACAT, (907) 222-7714
For immediate release
Alaska Citizens Commend
State’s Decision to Deny Alaska Railroad Use of Herbicides:
Herbicides Pose
Unacceptable Risk to Waters of the State
Anchorage—In a surprising
decision announced late yesterday, the Alaska Department of
Environmental Conservation (ADEC) denied the Alaska Railroad
Corporation’s permit application to spray herbicides along
the approximately 600 miles of railways and railyards for
vegetation management purposes. The state responded to the
substantive concerns of the public, stating that arguments
against the herbicide spraying “were compelling regarding
the potential for the proposed herbicides to reach waters of
the state.” Over
1,500 water bodies, including rivers, streams, and creeks
are within 225 feet of the tracks, making salmon and salmon
habitat vulnerable to contamination from herbicides. The
ADEC noted that the Alaska Railroad Corporation “did not
adequately identify all the water resources in and near the
proposed spray area.”
Alaska citizens living along
the railbelt expressed consistent opposition to the use of
herbicides by the Alaska Railroad—the ADEC received
approximately 1,083 written comments in addition to oral
testimony, as well as resolutions and letters expressing
opposition from local governments and community councils,
including: Native Village of Eklutna (resolution and
letter), Montana Creek Native Association, Inc.
(resolution), Municipality of Anchorage (letter), City of
Seward (resolution), Kenai Peninsula Borough (resolution),
Matanuska-Susitna Borough (resolution), Denali Borough
(resolution), Birchwood Community Council, and Talkeetna
Community Council.
Alaska Community Action on
Toxics firmly opposes the use of herbicides and associated
chemicals for vegetation management purposes by the Alaska
Railroad. “We assert that there are viable, economical
alternatives that preclude the need for chemical
treatments,” stated Pamela Miller, Executive Director of
Alaska Community Action on Toxics. “Herbicide use poses an
unacceptable threat to water quality, fish, wildlife,
habitat, and public health. The Alaska Department of
Environmental Conservation had the responsibility to deny
the permit application of the Alaska Railroad in order to
meet their obligation to protect human health and the
environment.”
The railroad proposed to
spray a chemical mixture of three herbicides, Razor Pro
(active ingredient glyphosate), 2,4-D, and Oust Extra
(active ingredients sulfometuron methyl and metsulfuron
methyl), as well as a polyvinyl chemical (product name
Alenza) as a drift retardant. Alaska Community Action on
Toxics submitted extensive comments documenting the adverse
effects of these chemicals on the environment and public
health, as well as recommending alternatives to the use of
herbicides.
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