Chase Residents Rally Against Rail Road's Plan to Spray for Weeds

The Chase Community Council will write a letter in opposition to the Alaska Rail Road’s application to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for a permit to spray herbicides along the tracks from Gold Creek to Broad Pass this summer. The herbicide, Aquamaster, is a product designed by Monsanto for killing broadleaf plants and weeds where water is present. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the herbicide, and is rated as low toxicity by the Environmental Protection Agency. Voters in the Chase Community Council are concerned because exposure to even low levels of toxicity can cause respiratory illness in animals and humans and it has been shown in some cases to cause birth abnormalities to lab rats.

In conjunction with the herbicide spray, the Railroad plans to use a wetting agent called Agri-Dex, which is an oil-based surfactant intended to increase absorption of the pesticide into the leafy plants.

A public hearing in Talkeetna will be held on February 2, 4:30 at the Northern Susitna Institute.