The Department of the Environment is a more suitable regulator than the Department of Agriculture

By Ruth Berlin and Andrew Fellows
November 28, 2010

It is long past time for Maryland to regulate pesticides in a manner that properly protects people and the environment. This is unlikely under the current watchdog, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), whose actions tend to reflect the interests of the Farm Bureau and chemical-based pest control and lawncare industries. That is why Gov. Martin O'Malley should transfer authority over pesticides from the MDA to the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), whose staff includes medical and science professionals far better equipped to develop objective, science-based environmental and public health regulatory policy.

The MDA has been successful in a number of policy and regulatory areas. But it was given oversight over pesticides in an era when the far-reaching damage caused by toxic chemicals was little understood. Current pesticide oversight needs go beyond MDA's original mandate and expertise.

The impact of pesticides on the Chesapeake Bay's waning health is often overlooked. Recent research indicates pesticides are a contributing factor that needs to be addressed. One example is findings that link pesticides to male fish laying eggs in Maryland waterways.