http://www.salon.com/politics/feature/2003/01/31/golf/index_np.html
Developer Alan Williams stands on the site of a proposed expansion of the Pebble Beach golf course; the golf club's most famous director, Clint Eastwood, has campaigned to extend the course by cutting down thousands of California's last remaining stand of Monterey pines. Poisoned fairways Among the big winners in Bush's proposed rollback of pesticide restrictions? The politically untouchable golf industry, where dangerous chemicals are par for the course. - - - - - - - - - - - - By Jake Tapper Jan. 31, 2003 | Methyl bromide gas is some pretty nasty stuff. The toxic pesticide has a habit of affecting non-target organisms as well as the pests it seeks. Human exposure to too much of it can lead to death, central nervous or respiratory system failure, and permanent disabilities; pregnant women exposed to it risk fetal defects. Moreover, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, "methyl bromide contributes significantly to the destruction of earth's stratospheric ozone layer" and for that reason, on Nov. 28, 2000, the U.S. government agreed to a 70 percent reduction of its use this year, with a complete ban to kick in by 2005. The Bush administration, however, is considering 56 applications for exemptions from this ban and, according to press reports, is planning to grant many of these industries their wish. Ranging from the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina to the California Tomato Commission, the 56 groups seeking "critical-use exemptions" are doing so because they feel compliance with the ban is not technically or economically feasible. No suitable alternative to methyl bromide exists, they claim, and any replacement would pose an undue economic hardship on their industry. One might be inclined to feel some sympathy for the Virginia Tomato Growers, the Sweet Potato Council of California or the Rice Millers' Association. They feed us. But golfers? Specifically, in its application (click here for a PDF copy; requires Adobe Acrobat) the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America wants EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman to allow its members to use, from 2005-2007, 734,400 pounds of a chemical so toxic and environmentally damaging it will be banned nearly everywhere else. This exemption is sought so the courses can continue to look pretty. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
