A California bill would formalize what Humboldt County has been doing since 1989 — ban the use of weedkillers on state highways in counties that restrict the use.Assembly Bill 99 would require Caltrans to pivot away from chemical deployment and instead use other methods such as laying concrete, mowing and mulching to prevent overgrowth onto state highways.In 1989, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors entered into an agreement with Caltrans to stop spraying herbicides on state roads in the county.“In 1989, the Humboldt County Board of Supes was very conservative and it voted unanimously to ask Caltrans to stop, not spray, to continue the no-spray program, but there’s never been anything written, you can’t even find anything down at the county supervisors archives,” Patty Clary, executive director of the Arcata-based Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, said.“To get this bill passed would then formalize that agreement and make it permanent,” she added.On Monday, the state Assembly approved the bill, authored by Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael), with a 55-16 party-line vote, meaning it is headed to the relatively more left-leaning state Senate. Mendocino County has also suspended the use of herbicides on state roadways.420,842 pounds of the toxic substances were used to manage state highway roadside vegetation in 2022, according to a CATs news release.Read More
