On Wednesday evening, the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously adopted Amendment 3 to a sweeping environmental “bond” bill called the Mass Ready Act that would allow cities and towns across the state to restrict or ban deadly anticoagulant rodenticides, commonly known as rat poison, that harm wildlife and pets.
This victory for the movement to remove these poisons from our neighborhoods and ecosystems did not come without compromise, as community groups and Beacon Hill advocacy organizations were hoping to see the Senate adopt a statewide ban.
The Senate opted to embrace a slightly different approach with the understanding that the industry will have to shift their practices over time, that the cost to implement a full and immediate ban for local governments may vary depending on current practices, and that there are dozens of communities who are organized on the local and regional level.
What Was Passed
Under the Senate’s proposal, any city or town would be able to restrict or ban rodenticide use within their borders (public and private property) with only a Town Meeting or City Council vote, and without any further legislative or regulatory approval.
Importantly, the cities and towns who have a pending home rule petition at the time of final passage will be considered to have “opted in”. This means that for the 15 communities (and counting!) who have petitioned the Legislature for the authority to regulate rodenticides, they will be able to act as soon as the Governor signs this bill into law.
A Growing Grassroots Advocacy Movement
The Rescue Raptors movement is currently made up of 66 organizations from across Massachusetts, who have come together to fight to end the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. The overuse of rat poisons results in deadly poisons entering the food chain and has caused countless deaths of wildlife include raptors and mammals as well as pets.
More than 4,600 advocates emailed their State Senators asking them to support this measure and a countless number also called. We are grateful for all our advocates who took the time to speak up on this important issue.
What’s Next
The final version of the Mass Ready Act passed Wednesday evening by a 36-3 margin, and moves on the House, where it is expected to be taken up sometime before the end of July.
Our work is not done, and we will still need all the advocates we can get to ensure anticoagulant rodent poisons are banned across the state.
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