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Paxton Wins Against Grocery Stores Spraying Pesticides on Organic Produce in Appeal to MAHA
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced a settlement with a grocery store chain to ban synthetic pesticides from being sprayed on organic produce.
Paxton touted the victory as a win for the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, spearheaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which strongly opposes pesticides in U.S.-grown produce.
In the settlement, announced by Paxton on Tuesday, the grocery store parent company, Albertsons Safeway, must stop misting organic produce with synthetic pesticides in all of its Texas grocery stores.
Albertsons is the parent company of over 10 grocery store chains, including Albertsons Market, Randall’s, Tom Thumb, United Supermarkets, Market Street, United Express, Market Street Express, and Amigos.
Paxton alleged that pesticides were being used on Agriculture Department-certified organic produce without consumers’ knowledge and opened an investigation into the matter in January. According to Paxton’s report, the pesticide, a chlorine-based compound containing hypochlorous acid, was sprayed on organic produce in stores around Texas to control bacteria and extend shelf life.
Pesticide Spraying Near Stanislaus, Calif. County School Concerns Parents. Why It’s Legal
Although California laws prevent schools and nearby farmers from applying pesticides when students are present, cities are largely an exception. On May 1, Patterson city staff sprayed pesticides at Floragold Park next to Apricot Valley Elementary school while kids were outside.
Apricot Valley Elementary dealt with an on-campus pesticide exposure incident on March 13 that left about 40 students and staff with itchy skin and rashes. Many of the parents and students say they still are traumatized from the incident. “Why would they choose that park to spray at when the kids are celebrating outside?” said parent Kelly Leon at a Patterson Joint Unified school board meeting May 5.
District officials said they had not been notified prior to the spraying at the park. Superintendent Reyes Gauna said he planned to bring it to the city’s attention at his next meeting with city leaders.
Georgia Officials Knew Chemicals From Carpet Mills Were Polluting Local Water. The People Did Not
This powerful accountability investigation stood out for exposing how Georgia officials failed to act as harmful “forever chemicals” spread through local water systems, while also giving voice to residents living with the consequences. Through exclusive documents, deep sourcing and compelling storytelling, Jason Dearen and journalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed how regulators protected a powerful industry even as contamination spread through waterways and communities.
At the center of the investigation were records showing that, even as the dangers of PFAS became better understood, a top state environmental official privately assured carpet industry executives that regulators would not intervene. The reporting found that authorities failed to issue drinking water warnings and fish-consumption advisories despite evidence of contamination affecting rivers and wildlife.
The investigation also uncovered how Georgia regulators resisted efforts by federal agencies and neighboring Alabama officials to better monitor the chemicals and track pollution. The story connected the complex science and regulation surrounding PFAS to the everyday lives of residents, grounding the investigation in human consequences.
Turf Battle in Hastings, NY: Parents Challenge School Over PFAS Concerns
A heated debate is growing in Hastings-on-Hudson over the installation of new artificial turf athletic fields, with some residents accusing the school district of breaking a promise to keep the project free of harmful chemicals. Last spring, voters approved a bond measure to install artificial turf fields in the district by a narrow margin of 72 votes. Supporters, including student-athletes, said the project would increase playing time and improve athletic performance.
“We helped advocate for this bond because we saw that over 90% of student-athletes wanted turf at Hastings,” said Hastings student-athlete Rob Jenneman. But some parents are now pushing back, arguing the district is not following through on earlier commitments that the turf would contain no PFAS — often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they can persist in the environment and human body.
News 12 verified that school board materials promoting the bond included language stating the turf would contain no PFAS. A group of Hastings residents has since filed a petition with the New York State Education Department seeking to halt installation, which is scheduled to begin June 1.
Alabama Coal Ash Lawsuit Can Continue, Appeals Court Rules
A yearslong court battle over the 21.7 million tons of coal ash sitting in one of Alabama’s most ecologically sensitive areas will continue after an appeals court ruling handed down Monday. The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a lawsuit by Alabama-based environmental group Mobile Baykeeper challenging Alabama Power’s plans to leave the coal ash in place can proceed, overturning the decision of a lower court that had dismissed the complaint.
Mobile Baykeeper’s lawsuit argues that the nearly 600-acre coal ash pond at Alabama Power’s James M. Barry Electric Generating Plant, near Mobile, violates the Environmental Protection Agency’s coal ash rules, largely because much of the coal ash remains saturated with groundwater.
Baykeeper’s Cade Kistler told Inside Climate News he hopes the ruling will spur Alabama Power to agree to remove the coal ash rather than continue to fight to leave toxic waste from the coal-fired power plant in the impoundment pond.
