HARDWICK – As Vermont governor Phil Scott signed the first U.S. legislation banning the toxic herbicide paraquat into law last week, Emily Lanxner, a founding member of the Vermont Poison and Pesticide Action Network (PAPAN) said work on this bill was a struggle similar to previous legislation protecting humans and pollinators.
She noted PAPANs work introducing regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), neonicotinoids and glyphosate, all of which can have a negative effect on humans and pollinators. Her primary focus, and the area where she feels she can make the biggest difference with her Honeybee Steel Band, is in bringing attention to our need to project pollinators, which are critical to our food supply, she said.
The accessibility of Vermont legislators to their constituents and dependence on them to bring information that industry lobbyists and state bureaucrats might not. With little staff, members of the Vermont House and Senate often rely on the public to bring important issues to their attention, she said.
“Vermont has been a maverick state in pioneering legislation and awareness to protect pollinators and people, with work on GMOs, neonicotinoids, glyphosate, and now this one, phasing in a ban on paraquat,” Lanxner said.
Following Gov. Scott’s signing of the bill banning paraquat in Vermont, The Michael J. Fox Foundation shared their work looking to ban the product.
“In late 2022, the EPA announced a reassessment of paraquat’s safety, which remains incomplete as of May 2026. For more than 10 years, The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), together with its nationwide network of policy advocates and coalition partners, has led the push for a federal paraquat ban. We continue to urge the EPA to complete its long-pending paraquat review and take action consistent with the science.”
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) also weighed in, saying, “There are some agricultural pesticides that are just too poisonous to be used safely. Paraquat is now at the top of that list and therefore banning it in Vermont is absolutely the right thing to do,” said Paul Burns, VPIRG executive director
In nearby Greensboro, Lanxner mentioned work the Greensboro Conservation Commission is considering with tests of stem injected glyphosate and concerns of engaged citizens there.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
