May 18, 2008
Pesticide Panel: Finding Fair Advice
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Editorial Board
After a big dust-up, the governor is again looking for a toxicologist for a state pesticide board. Missteps by the governor's office will make it even more difficult to find fair, expert advice on an important subject for farmers, farm workers and the public.
Gov. Chris Gregoire recently appointed Charles Timchalk, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratories scientist with long ties to the Dow Chemical Co., to the state Pesticide Incident Reporting and Tracking Review Panel. But Timchalk, whose appointment had been greeted angrily by understandably skeptical farm worker advocates, decided last week not to serve.
He had been picked to replace Steven Gilbert, another Ph.D. toxicologist, who has operated outside of the circle of corporate grants and contracts. The switch looked fishy, and the governor's office had received some heat from farming interests unhappy with Gilbert over his advocacy of a bill on monitoring for pesticide drift. Records show Gregoire aides were engaged in heavy-duty political machinations with a well-connected Democrat, former state Agriculture Secretary Jim Jesernig. But it seems quite likely, as officials recount in some detail, that Gregoire largely acted on the basis of a sometimes-violated but longstanding preference (even in previous administrations) for limiting advisory board appointments to two terms.
Assuming that's the case, it's especially unfortunate that the policy wasn't communicated well and that it was used when the terms are a relatively short two years. That allows a very questionable maximum of four years experience. With no notice about the limit, Gilbert applied, and colleagues on the board thought so highly of him that he received a unanimous vote for reappointment. Indeed, the board again recommended Gilbert on Thursday after Timchalk decided not to serve. But the governor's office promptly announced the entire search for a successor would be reopened.
Judging by the confidence of the rest of the board, largely comprising state officials, Gilbert is fully qualified, but now just as out of the picture as Timchalk. Despite Timchalk's Dow ties (and assuming no conflicts with state rules arose), the PNNL researcher appears to be the type of eminent scientist who could have contributed well. Keith Phillips, Gregoire's chief environmental adviser, said a review of Timchalk's research showed a technically versed scientist whose work, if anything, seemed to document possible harms from pesticides.
Phillips sounded gamely determined to find another toxicologist, within a tight 30-day mandate. The governor's office also talked forthrightly about better communications on reappointment limits.
We're left feeling bad for Timchalk, Gilbert and all of us. The state needs all the expertise it can get to assure the safety of agricultural practices for the public.
