Cheverus drops controversial plan to use pesticide despite Portland’s approval

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 9, 2020

Less than an hour after Portland approved a request to allow Cheverus High School to use synthetic pesticides to treat its athletic fields near Back Cove, the school abruptly dropped the plan in the face of criticism by neighbors and anti-pesticide advocates. The school planned to treat the field with Bifenthrin, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency labels as a possible human carcinogen. Portland is one of 30 Maine communities with local ordinances to ban or restrict the use of synthetic pesticides. But Portland’s ordinance, adopted in 2018, allows city residents and entities to seek waivers for public health emergencies.