Judge orders halt to spraying for moth

[BuddhaGirl]

"(04-24) 14:45 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The state's efforts to eradicate the light brown apple moth was dealt a setback Thursday when a judge ordered a halt to aerial spraying in Santa Cruz County until state agriculture officials conduct a comprehensive review of the chemical spray's environmental impact.

A short time later, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced separately in Sacramento that plans to spray in 12 counties where the moth has been found would be put on hold at least until Aug. 17 to allow for a series of safety tests to be completed.

U.S. and state agriculture officials had planned aerial spraying in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties in June and in every county in the Bay Area starting in August in a campaign to eradicate the invasive moth, which they say threatens more than 200 crops in the state worth multimillions of dollars.

What effect Schwarzenegger's decision would have on plans to spray the Bay Area remained unclear Thursday, but Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura said the ruling by Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Paul Burdick "threatens the safety of our agriculture, environment and economy" and said he would appeal it immediately."

WooHoo!! I hope in the end that the spraying will not take place at all. :bounce: