ROCKVILLE, Md. — A Montgomery County Council committee voted Thursday to limit the scope of a proposal that would have banned pesticide use throughout the entire county.
Bill 52-14 would have prohibited the use of pesticides on private lawns and on county property including athletic fields and parks. But the council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee amended the measure, making it less far-reaching.
“I don’t believe adopting a ban at this time is responsible,” said councilmember Roger Berliner, chairman of the committee. “Passing a ban on products used by much of our public will create a backlash that will erode trust in our government.”
The panel dropped the ban on pesticide use for private lawns and athletic fields. However, on county property, pesticide use would still be banned on lawns, park playgrounds and within 25 feet of streams.
A goal will also be established to reduce non-agricultural pesticide use by 50 percent within three years.
And while the bill was amended significantly, it still represents “the strongest anti-pesticide bill by any major jurisdiction in the country,” Berliner said.
Council President George Leventhal, who sponsored the original bill, disagreed.
“I do believe, very simply, that a legal prohibition on the use of chemicals known to be toxic is the only way to bring about real change in behavior,” Leventhal said.
The full council is set to consider the measure Oct. 6.
