Civil penalties issued for pesticide violations in Oregon
Staff Writer |
The Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Pesticides Program completed 716 investigations of potential pesticide violations in 2016 and, as a result, issued 37 final orders on civil penalties totaling $85,938 over the course of the year.
Article continues below
]
This sum does not include civil penalties that are still subject to appeal through an administrative hearing.
The penalties issued and paid in 2016 include those for working without a valid or appropriate pesticide operator license, using unlicensed pesticide applicators, or making commercial applications without an applicator license:
- Applebee Aviation Inc. of Banks– $43,552
- Highlanders Forest, LLC of Central Point– $10,000
- Jeffrey F. Ricks of Portland operating as Green Envy Landscaping– $1,887
- Western Ag Improvements, Inc. of Dayton– $666
- Felipe Cruz of Vancouver, WA– $629
- Roberto Vera of Vancouver, WA– $629
- Doug A. Herndon of Salem– $407
Civil penalties were also issued for pesticide uses, distributions, or recommendations inconsistent with product labels:
- Landcare USA LLC of Tigard– $1,800
- Chamberlin Agriculture, Inc. of Wenatchee, WA– $1,221
- Wilbur-Ellis Company of Walla Walla, WA– $814
- Felipe Cruz of Vancouver, WA– $629
- Roberto Vera of Vancouver, WA– $629
- Jeffrey F. Ricks of Portland operating as Green Envy Landscaping– $629
- Timothy Aman of Silverton– $407
- Grange Cooperative Supply Association of Central Point– $407
- Heesacker Farms, Inc. of Forest Grove– $407
- Steven J. Heesacker of Forest Grove– $407
- Duane Kirkman of Cave Junction– $407
- Macy’s Flying Service, Inc. of Tulelake, CA– $407
- Trees, Inc. of Houston, TX– $407
- Monty R. Yancey of Klamath Falls– $407
Civil penalties were also issued for faulty, careless, or negligent pesticide application activities:
- Michael L. Applebee of Banks– $10,000
- Columbia Basin Helicopter, Inc. of Baker City– $1,556
- David M. McCarty of Baker City– $1,443
- Ekstrom Nursery, Inc. of Gresham– $814
- Gumercindo Gonzalez of Cornelius– $814
- Hirata Orchards, Inc. of Parkdale– $814
- Jack E. Roher of Gresham– $814
- Peter Alan Brawn of Albany– $407
- Bill Hirata of Parkdale– $407
- Kelly D. Kreder of Dayton– $407
- Pedro Solis of Parkdale– $407
- Transag, Inc. of Albany– $407
Civil penalties were also issued for marketing or distributing broken and misbranded containers of pesticide products:
- Dennis 7 Dees Landscape Inc. of Portland– $450
- Travis Smith of Portland– $450
ODA licenses more than 12,000 commercial pesticide businesses and applicators.
A vast majority of Oregon’s pesticide licensees are in compliance with Oregon’s Pesticide Law.
Some recipients of pesticide-related civil penalties in Oregon are neither licensed nor required to be licensed. ■