LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Sen. Rick Outman (R-33rd District) has proposed a new legislation that would establish a notification system that would alert residents when the state agricultural department deploys emergency pesticides, according to Senator Outman’s office.
We’re told the bill, if passed, would create a registry for the alerts and that those alerts would be sent to Michiganders when the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development decides to spray pesticides in response to diseases such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
“The concern was brought to me by beekeepers in my district who were unhappy with the current notification system,” says Outman. “Previously, they had relied on announcements in the newspaper or on the news that didn’t always give them an adequate time frame to set up measures to protect their hives.”
Outman’s office says residents would be able to choose the manner in which they receive these alerts, including text message and email, adding the alerts would be sent 48 hours prior to application.
