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Our History
The Connecticut Pesticide Reform coalition came together in 2022 to back state legislative bill SB120 to restrict wasteful uses of neonicotinoid pesticides--the pesticides linked to devastating declines in birds, bees and other pollinators. The bill also included a ban on the use of chlorpyrifos on golf courses. Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide that can permanently damage the developing brains of children as well as cause devastating harms to pollinators and other wildlife.
Tara Cook-Littman sorting through boxes of pesticide use applications at CT DEEP to figure out where chlorpyrifos was being used in CT. She found 80% was used on golf courses. Her work led to a ban on use by golf courses.
photo courtesy of CT Post
Tara Cook-Littman, a co-founder of CPR, had worked since 2017 to
restrict the use of chlorpyrifos in Connecticut. In order to find out where
the pesticide was being used in the state, she filed a freedom of
information act request to access the boxes of pesticide use applications kept at the Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in Hartford.
She found that 80% of chlorpyrifos use was on golf courses in the state.
That information helped pass SB120 in 2022, but not before the
legislature removed the language restricting neonics from the bill at the eleventh hour. It was a disappointment, but restricting chlorpyrifos was still a huge win for public health and the environment.
Tara's work helped shine a light on the problem of access to information about pesticide use in Connecticut. The state had not yet digitalized pesticide use applications, which they have since done, but access for residents, legislators, or even DEEP staff itself is still problematic. Applications are organized by the last name of the pesticide applicator (typically a business or yard care service.) It is still not possible to find out easily what pesticides are being used, in what quantities, and where in our state.
Part of the CPR mission is to continue to advocate for user-friendly digital access to these pesticide use application forms. We want everyone in the state to be able to find out what pesticides are being used and where those pesticides are showing up in the environment. Currently, the state does not test for pesticides in the environment.
In 2023 and 2024, CPR advocated for bills to restrict the use of neonics on lawns and gardens, but without success. In March 2024, we hosted a conference in Hartford that featured some of the top scientists and researchers studying the effects of neonics on human health and the environment. Here is the Conference Report which includes a link to watch a recording of the presentations.
CPR continues to work to raise awareness about the threats pesticides, especially neonicotinoids, pose to human health and the environment and to advocate for sensible pesticide policy reforms in Connecticut.
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