MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Environmental activists issued a call to action at the Statehouse Tuesday to protect Vermonters from toxins ranging from PFAS to farm pesticides to stormwater pollution.
“When the future looks scary, I feel betrayed,” said Zoryan Ivakhiv with pollinator advocacy group The Swarm. “If we don’t change our agricultural practices, the next generation may never get a chance to see them. And worse yet, our ecosystems will fail.”
Others at the media event spoke to the pollution risks at the Coventry landfill, which has been in the spotlight in recent years for its approach to PFAS removal.
“As individuals and as communities, we must take a greater responsibility for the waste we ourselves generate,” said Henry Coe with the group Don’t Undermine Memphremagog’s Purity.
In addition to PFAS controls, activists want lawmakers to focus on infrastructure upgrades to prevent sewage overflows, a 50% reduction in pesticide use by the end of the decade, and a ban on biosolids on farms until more research is available on their safety.
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources says they’d like to see many of these same changes but that implementing them takes time and research. “I think that we need to go thoughtfully into this space to make sure that we’re not having unintended consequences,” said ANR’s Matt Chapman.
State agriculture officials have similar feelings about pesticide restrictions but are wary of bans that would hurt farmers and the food they produce. “People forget that pesticides are used to control pests. You know, pests have impacts. If you don’t have those tools, then you could have some serious problems,” said the ag agency’s Steve Dwinell.
However, some advocates point to the European Union’s heavy restrictions on PFAS and pesticides as proof that change is possible in Vermont. “The things that we’re asking for are already things that other parts of the world have studied and believe are possible,” said Marguerite Adelman with the Vermont PFAS/Military Poisons Coalition.
Advocates say they’re keeping a close eye on several bills being introduced this legislative session to limit environmental contaminants.
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