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Parks & Public Spaces
Int. 1524, A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York, in relation to the use of pesticides by City agencies
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, February 13, 2020, the following resolution passed with a vote of 35 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Council Members Carlina Rivera and Keith Powers, among others, have introduced a bill to amend the list of substances approved for use by city agencies to exclude certain chemically-based pesticides; and
WHEREAS, Currently, city agencies are permitted to use pesticides and herbicides containing chemical compounds such as glyphosate, the primary ingredient in the commercial product Round-Up; and
WHEREAS, Glyphosate and similar chemical compounds have been assessed by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as “probably carcinogenic;” and
WHEREAS, New York City Parks Department employees have been diagnosed with cancers related to glyphosate exposure in numbers that far exceed the norm; and
WHEREAS, In 2017 the State of California added glyphosate to its list of products that require consumer warnings in recognition of its carcinogenic effects on humans; and
WHEREAS, All relevant city agencies, including the Parks Department, have indicated their support for this legislation; and
WHEREAS, This legislation represents the most comprehensive stance that the city can take regarding the use of chemically-based pesticides, as legislation to ban the use of chemically-based pesticides by private individuals would fall under the jurisdiction of the State Legislature; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five supports efforts to protect those who visit, live or work in our district and our city from exposure to carcinogens, and recognizes the disproportionate impact of such carcinogenic pollution on lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five supports Int. 1524, and urges the City Council to bring it up for consideration and a vote.