Pelosi Letter to Governor Schwarzenegger Concerning the Light Brown Apple Moth

Contact:Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

May 7, 2008

Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
California State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

Thank you for your announcement on April 24, 2008 that aerial spraying of pheromones, conducted as part of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's eradication plan for the light brown apple moth will be postponed until a "six-pack" toxicology test, which includes oral, skin, eye, inhalation, and respiratory irritants, is completed.

The health and safety of our constituents and our environment must be our top priority as the eradication plan for the light brown apple moth moves forward.

With that in mind, I pose the following questions about the light brown apple moth eradication plan:

1. What are the short-and long-term health effects of the CheckMate® aerial spray, including the inert ingredients?

2. What is the economic risk of employing ground-based alternatives such as twist ties until a thorough environmental and health assessment of aerial spraying is conducted?

3. What is the likelihood that the aerial spraying will succeed in eradicating the light brown apple moth?

4. Can other interventions be equally effective as aerial spray, including introduction of a natural predator or ground-based alternatives?

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

best regards,

NANCY PELOSI
Speaker of the House