Alaska Railroad weed-spraying ban extended temporarily
Written by jrood
On July 12, Superior Judge William Morse extended until July 16 an order preventing the Alaska Railroad from spraying weed killers on a section of track until the state's high court can review the state-issued permit, local media report. Previously, state regulators had given the railroad permission to spray herbicide for 30 miles along a 90-mile stretch of track from Indian to Seward, south of Anchorage.
Environmental groups
fighting the permit say regulators failed to consider the herbicide’s harmful
effects on drinking water and salmon streams. The permit would have allowed
spraying to begin the week of July 5, but the groups were granted a temporary
stay.
According to spokesman
Phyllis Johnson, the railroad has been seeking permission since 2006 to use
herbicides to combat weeds along its tracks. Johnson believes the Alaska
Railroad is the only railroad in the country not permitted to use herbicides.
She said it has met the permit requirements and has equipment in place to begin
spraying immediately.
The railroad maintains it
has exhausted other ways to fight weeds, and is facing fines from federal
regulators.
State regulators say if the
herbicide is used properly, there is no harm to humans or the environment. The
railroad is proposing using the same active ingredient that is used in the
common garden herbicide Roundup, as well as a wetting agent. The herbicide
would be applied with a low-pressure nozzle two-to-three feet off the ground.
The permit contains some restrictions, including no spraying within 200 feet of
groundwater or within 100 feet of a stream or pond.
