House panel debates ban on burning pesticide containers

Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul) sponsors a bill that would add just one line to state statute on pesticide use, whereby: “A person is prohibited from disposing a pesticide container by burning.”

But some behind-the-scenes politicking has complicated a simple bill.

That was revealed when Hansen, the sponsor of HF2576 and co-chair of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee said Monday he’s prepared to put forth an amendment that would also ban the pesticide paraquat, which has been linked to Parkinson’s disease.

The amendment is HF3965, heard March 11 by the committee, but not supported by Republicans.

“House Democrats have indicated that a high priority for us is the banning of paraquat,” Hansen said, noting that the bipartisan support needed to move important bills out of the agriculture committee won’t happen without the ban.

“We are not very supportive of anything else moving forward unless that bill moves forward,” he said.

Wednesday is the last scheduled committee meeting, and Hansen expressed optimism that negotiations with Committee Co-Chair Rep. Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck) would be fruitful in the intervening 48 hours.

For his part, Anderson said the outright banning of a pesticide “is a serious thing” for farmers and can put them in a bind by limiting their options.

“We need to look at this closely,” he said.

Meanwhile, the bill to ban burning empty pesticide containers — held over by the committee — has support from agricultural groups.

“Open burning of agricultural plastic containers — which are made of HDPE and may retain residues of pesticides or other regulated substances — releases toxic air pollutants, dioxins, and particulate matter,” wrote J. Mark Hudson, executive director of the Ag Container Recycling Council. “The prohibition established by this bill would eliminate a disposal practice that is inconsistent with modern environmental standards and incompatible with Minnesota’s commitment to clean air and water.”

Complying with the bill would not be difficult, said Joshua Stamper, director of pesticide and fertilizer management at the Department of Agriculture. “Every ag chem dealer will take back waste pesticide containers.”