Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 29 august 2018

Toxic pesticides found at most illegal California pot farms

By DON THOMPSON pass California's stringent
Associated Press standards for legal weed
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — because traces of the toxic
Nine of every 10 illegal mar- chemicals are often found
ijuana farms raided in Cali- in the plants, officials said.
fornia this year contained U.S. Forest Service Chief
traces of powerful and Forester Vicki Christiansen
potentially lethal pesticides estimated that 1.2 billion
that are poisoning wildlife gallons (4.5 billion liters) of
and could endanger wa- scarce water are diverted
ter supplies, researchers to illicit grows in California
and federal authorities said national forests each year.
Tuesday. And California is not alone,
That's a jump from chemi- with illegal drug traffickers
cals found at about 75 found in 72 national forests
percent of illegal growing in 21 states, she said, calling
operations discovered on it "a major national prob-
public land last year, and lem."
it's six times as high as in Authorities seized nearly
2012. 640,000 plants, more than
Federal and state officials 25,000 pounds of pro-
launched a summer-long cessed pot, more than 80
crackdown driven in part In this Jan. 23, 2018, file photo, McGregor Scott, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District firearms, $225,000 in cash
by new concern over the of California, speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif. and made nearly 80 arrests
increase in the use of the Associated Press in California. They hauled
highly toxic pesticide car- out nearly 60 tons of trash,
bofuran. $2.5 million in federal mon- under anybody's law." juana and other crops. including nearly 84 miles
Researcher Mourad Gabri- ey led to 95 growing sites California Attorney General For example, they raided (135 kilometers) of irrigation
el, one of the few research- and the removal of more Xavier Becerra, who leads two illegal marijuana farms hose.
ers studying the ecological than 10 tons of fertilizer, the nation's largest marijua- south of Sacramento this Work crews cleaned up 160
impact of illicit grow sites, pesticides and chemicals. na eradication program, summer based on informa- toxic sites, but have a wait-
said the pesticide is so pow- U.S. Attorney McGregor said state drug agents last tion on a cellphone found ing list of 830 contaminat-
erful that a quarter-tea- Scott said federal authori- week found gallons of car- at an illegal grow in the ed sites, some found eight
spoon can kill a 300-pound ties are concentrating their bofuran being added to ir- Mendocino National Forest years ago and still awaiting
(136-kilogram) bear. efforts on hazardous illegal rigation water at an illegal last year, Scott said. their turn.
He and fellow researchers grows on public land in- site in northwestern Califor- "Because of the legaliza- Part of the problem is the
at the Integral Ecology Re- stead of targeting Califor- nia. The water ultimately tion, our operating theory lethal pesticides pose a
search Center in northwest- nia's new recreational mari- makes it into the water sup- is that it's a whole lot easier danger to cleanup crews,
ern California found 89 per- juana industry. ply in a rugged, mountain- to go set up a greenhouse Scott said in the interview.
cent of sites this year have "This isn't about the mari- ous area near the city of in the valley somewhere "If they go in and there's
been confirmed or are juana, it's about the dam- Redding. than it to have to pack all a certain level of toxic-
strongly suspected to be age that's being done," he Investigators suspect some of this stuff into the national ity, they just have to back
contaminated with what said in an interview before illegal grows are now be- forest," he said in the inter- away and then let time go
he called "highly deadly a news conference to an- ing moved into agricultural view. by before they can safely
toxic chemicals." nounce the findings. "What areas where they blend in The pot is mostly headed go in and try to do the rec-
The crackdown aided by is happening here is illegal alongside legitimate mari- out of state and could not lamation," he said.q

Environmental groups fight back against corporate lawsuits

By BLAKE NICHOLSON task force announced "We know from our own ists and nonprofits, panel that built the Dakota Ac-
Associated Press Tuesday targets what are experience that this legal discussions and rallies out- cess oil pipeline and sued
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — known as strategic lawsuits bullying tactic will work if it's side the corporate offices Greenpeace, Earth First
Twenty environmental and against public participa- not shut down," said Katie of companies the groups and BankTrack for up to $1
civil liberties groups are tion, or SLAPP, which use Redford, co-founder and believe use such lawsuits. billion for allegedly working
fighting back against law- legal action and the threat director of EarthRights Inter- Rallies are planned next to undermine the $3.8 bil-
suits they believe are aimed of financial risk to deter national. week in San Francisco, New lion project to move North
at limiting free speech and people and groups from The effort is to include bill- York City and Dallas. Dallas Dakota oil to a shipping
silencing critics. speaking out against some- board advertisements, is the base for Energy Trans- point in Illinois.q
The "Protect the Protest" thing they oppose. training sessions for journal- fer Partners, the company