Businesses and Legislators Urge NStar to Abandon Pesticide Plan and Uphold Green Commitment

Posted by Sylvia Broude on

On Wednesday morning a coalition of more than 125 Cape Cod businesses, environmental groups, and state legislators gathered to urge NSTAR to protect Cape Cod’s only drinking water source by abandoning plans to spray pesticides in more than thirteen Cape Cod towns. 

“When we are talking about the purity of our drinking water, it’s impossible to be too vigilant,” said Representative Sarah Peake, speaking to a crowd of more than 60 concerned local residents.   She was referring to NSTAR’s plans to spray five toxic pesticides along 150 miles of power lines on Cape Cod and the Islands to control plant growth.  Residents worry that the pesticides can migrate off rights-of-way, leaching into groundwater and impacting human health and the environment.

“Cape Cod already has a long history of contamination and some of the highest breast-cancer rates in the country,” said Sylvia Broude, Organizing Director for Toxics Action Center. “We’ve known for decades that pesticides pose threats to human health and the environment. There is no need to expose these communities to dangerous chemicals when a big mower or pair of hedge trimmers will do the trick.” Broude cited EPA and American Cancer Society studies linking the pesticide glyphosate to kidney damage, reproductive disorders and certain forms of cancer.

NSTAR has delayed their spray plans until 2011, and residents are calling on NSTAR CEO Tom May to permanently abandon their pesticide plan and commit to a no-spray policy on the Cape. For decades, NSTAR managed vegetation on Cape Cod without pesticides, instead using cutting and mowing. Jared Collins, founder of Concerned Citizens Against Herbicide Use on Cape Cod, pointed out that NSTAR has a Green Commitment to conduct business ‘in a way that least impacts the environment.’ “This plan is clearly out of step with that commitment, and an unnecessary risk for public health and the environment,” said Collins.  “We’re only asking them to return to the proven method they used for years, and we urge NSTAR to address this problem before it becomes a community outreach problem, a public relations problem and a legal liability.”

Sue Phelan, Director of GreenCAPE, spoke about widespread opposition to NSTAR’s pesticide plan. “We are here today to launch a new coalition called Cape Cod for a Truly Green NSTAR,” said Phelan. “More than 125 local businesses in 14 Cape Cod towns have signed on in support of a no-spray policy. Cape residents have a right to clean water, and we’re just asking NSTAR to do the right thing.”  Included in these endorsements are bed and breakfasts, auto shops, ice cream stores, real estate companies, and landscapers, among others. 

State Representative Cleon Turner also spoke at the event and stated his concerns. He expressed optimism that NSTAR will listen to public concerns and abandon their spray plans. He has been participating in meetings with the Cape Cod Commission, state legislature, and Department of Agricultural Resources to address residents’ concerns. NSTAR has invited GreenCAPE and Toxics Action Center to meet with them about the issue, and speakers at Wednesday’s event said they look forward to having an open dialogue with the company.