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The mission of the North Carolina Property Rights Coalition is to provide a unified voice to advocate public policy that protects and preserves private property while exposing the misuse of eminent domain, excessive regulations, and burdensome laws.
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The North Carolina Right to Know Organization is asking for your email support for helping the aging, disabled, handicapped, blind, feeble, fixed income, and all citizens of North Carolina.
If Governor Easley can spend $1.6 million tax payer dollars on a pesticide plan to protect farmworkers shouldn't the plan also include protecting the citizens of North Carolina as well. The plan should be comprehensive and not discriminate between industries, companies, workers, and citizens. Tell the Director of the State Office of Rural Health and Community Care, Mr. John Price to implement a plan that protects everyone's right to know when being exposed to hazardous pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals. Email: john.price@ncmail.net, Governor Office at: governor.office@ncmail.net
Running story Greenway and public park
My running friend and I were exposed to hazardous herbicides at the Piedmont Environmental Center Greenway a public park while running trails. The hazardous herbicides are legal to use and no warnings or notifications have to be issued by Duke Energy. It also affected out drinking water supply High Point City Lake. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture that regulates the use of pesticides and herbicides has turned a blind eye to the situation and has no means for protecting the public. There are tragic and current situations where a baby was born without legs and arms and the people in Montgomery County can not drink their water because of legal to use pesticide and herbicide applications.
Private Property
In addition to running and being exposed in a public park I own right of way property. A Duke Energy hazmat team came onto my property without notice or warning. The drift spray killed my tomato plants and also exposed me to the hazardous herbicides while I was working in my garden a couple of years back. The hazmat spray team could not speak English and I was not sure about what they were doing or who they work for, it took the discovery process to find things out. This needs to stop.
Duke Energy states:
1. Land owners are to purchase, install, and maintain large 12 inch by 18 inch "No Spray Signs" in their yards/on their property at the edges of the right of way per Duke specifications. I will not do this. This is my property and I am not posting signs in my yard or possibly in my neighbor's yard. I am not going to degrade my property value or my neighbor's property value with these signs.
2. Land owner is to make a drawing of the right of way property, I am not a surveyor, no thanks. I could end up in court with my neighbors over land disputes and property boundaries.
3. If these signs are not posted Duke Energy will spray the land owner's property. This is wrong. I submitted a refusal form to Duke Energy that should be sufficient, even though the form may be illegal to impose on land owners.
4. What are the aging seniors, disabled, handicapped, blind, feeble, fixed income, and renters to do to meet the above conditions? This is wrong and thoughtless of our North Carolina Governoring body and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture ran by Commissoner Steve Troxler,Steve.Troxler@ncmail.net .
Duke Energy will use these hazardous herbicides year after year, after year. A Duke Energy representative was asked his thoughts about the right of way herbicides they were using, he stated "If it kills a tree it is bad for me", I must agree with him. The Piedmont Environmental Center and Bicentennial Greenway are only a small part of the thousands of miles of right of way in North Carolina being sprayed by Duke Energy from the mountains to the sea. This is not limited to Duke Energy but applies to all utility companies in North Carolina. Obtaining information from the utility companies or the state of North Carolina is a discovery process. The laws are outdated and the agreements have expired. As a public service you can find more information for your protection at: http://citizens1.wordpress.com
Please pay attention to where you and your family live, work, and play including our public parks. Also be alert for your pets, farm animals, and wildlife.
Your email help is needed for my community
As an option to spraying Duke Energy will mechanically maintain the right of way but it takes a request for this service from the City or land owner. It is free and does not cost the City of High Point any money. High Point resales electricity from Duke Energy they are partners and it was stated the "City of High Point is not into regulating herbicides. Prevent hazardous herbicides and water contamination, email High Point's Mayor: becky.smothers@highpointnc.gov
High Point Environmental Center right of way trail and Bicentennial Greenway Trails. Mismanaged by Duke Energy
the trees were left standing for months as a fire hazard to the park and AC power grid.
There were 45 acres of public park land sprayed with 400 gallons of hazardous herbicides. This area is used by
local school groups and cross country teams, hikers, walkers, pets, and wildlife.
High Point City Lake gets the down hill run-off from the trails and right of way.
Right of way backyards in Chapel Hill below:
Links and Email addresses:
New pesticide rules posed Farmworkers' advocates say $1.6 million plan misses mark http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1047947.html
Courier Tribune reports at http://www.courier-tribune.com/articles/2008/04/12/news/gn1.txt about Montgomery County's contaminated drinking water. The herbicides used in Montgomery County were legal to use just as the herbicides of today in the right of ways are legal to use and the directions were followed on the labels for applications just as they are today. It only took about 30 years for the herbicides to contaminate the drinking water. They can not drink the water.
Please watch the below short video at YouTube below and contact those listed at http://citizens1.wordpress.com who can end all of this without spending one cent. While watching the YouTube video ask yourself if you and your family would want to picnic in the Piedmont Environmental Center Park and Greenway area? The public drinking water source High Point City Lake has been affected by the hazardous herbicides. North Carolina has outdated laws that need our legislators to update or write new laws for our protection.
High Point Piedmont Environmental Center short video showing the hazardous herbicide spraying at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=u1sPFVTwhKw
Governor Mike Easley has asked everyone to conserve water but yet no one will stop water contamination by Duke Energy, email to: governor.office@ncmail.net
Guildford County State Representative, Pricey Harrison (D) is active on the situation and hopefully will work on legislation for the state but she needs to hear from you, email to: Priceyh@ncleg.net
Guilford County State Representative, Laura Wiley (R) is active on the situation and hopefully will work on legislation for the state but she needs to hear from you, Lauraw@ncleg.net
North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Commissioner Steve Troxler's department has turned a blind eye to public safety, they do not validate the data or take water and soil samples from site inspections email to: Steve.Troxler@ncmail.net
Possibly the North Carolina Department of Agriculture does not want to know what is in the soil or water. They were asked to take samples but did not. This could serve to be valuable information for now and the future.
Eugene, OR -- A new review by the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) finds that use of the common herbicide glyphosate is linked to a variety of health and environmental problems. Glyphosate, often sold as Roundup, is the most commonly used pesticide in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over 5 million pounds of glyphosate in American yards and gardens every year. "Glyphosate is not a nontoxic chemical. Recent research shows that use of this heavily marketed pesticide is linked with cancer, miscarriages, and genetic damage in people," said Caroline Cox, NCAP's staff scientist and author of the new report. http://www.pesticide.org/glyphosateroundupnr.html
April 18, 2008 The Associated Press
TAMPA, FLA. - A Florida court has approved a settlement between Ag-Mart Produce Inc. and a farm worker couple whose baby was born without limbs after the mother worked in the company's North Carolina tomato fields while pregnant.
Hillsborough Circuit Judge Charlene Honeywell approved a confidential settlement Wednesday that was reached last month by attorneys for the couple and the company. The couple's attorney said the settlement is "very significant" and will provide a lifetime of care for their son.
The couple also worked in Florida on Ag-Mart tomato fields.
Ag-Mart did not admit any wrongdoing, but the company has stopped using a number of pesticides alleged to have caused birth defects. The company's attorney declined to comment after Wednesday's hearing.
Francisca Herrera and Abraham Candelario said they worked for Ag-Mart in 2004, before and after the birth of their son, Carlos.
They and other workers have testified the company sprayed pesticides while they worked in the tomato fields or didn't wait sufficient time before sending workers back to the fields.
Tommy Walls Jamestown, NC 27282
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