"After an aggressive lobbying campaign against a bill to ban “forever pesticides,” what passed instead “is a shell of what we set out to do,” its author said."
"An ambitious bill to keep toxic “forever chemicals” off California produce lost its teeth after the chemical and agricultural industry spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying against it.
The bill that landed on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk last week simply requires regulators to track and disclose pesticide applications in the state.
It’s “a shell of what we set out to do,” said its author, Assemblymember Nick Schultz, D-Burbank. “We missed an opportunity this year to really be a national leader on this issue, and to catch up with a handful of other states that are already pursuing this legislation,” he added, referring to Maine and Minnesota, which have already enacted laws restricting PFAS pesticides."
Liza Gross reports for Inside Climate News September 9, 2026.
