Attorneys for a group of lawn care companies and homeowners asked a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge to invalidate a county law barring the use of certain pesticides from private lawns, arguing that the products are well-regulated by state and federal agencies.
The law, passed by a divided County Council in 2015, made Montgomery County, Maryland, the first major locality to bar nonessential cosmetic pesticides. It is scheduled to take effect at the beginning of next year.
The measure targets pesticides containing chemicals that may cause cancer, and allows only compounds that are organically based or deemed to be of minimal risk under the 1996 Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. It exempts agricultural land, gardens and golf courses.
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