It’s Baaaaack!

The Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners will again consider glyphosate use for county-administered properties and facilities. A moratorium/ban was in place for years, then limited use was allowed last year for one year. On Tuesday, August 11, 2026, the commissioners will discuss and likely decide on a management plan that appears to include limited use of glyphosate. We have yet to be provided requested information regarding how much glyphosate was used and where during the year of allowed limited use. If you live or work in Bernalillo County, please contact the Board of Commissioners at commission@bernco.gov before 3:00 p. m., August 11th and request that they do not resume use of glyphosate. You can also call; phone numbers are at the bottom of this post. THANK YOU.

Talking Points you can use in your comments include the following:

• Glyphosate has been listed as a probable human carcinogen, and robust statistical data show correlations between glyphosate exposure, direct and indirect, and various chronic diseases.
• The EPA failed to assess the potential harms of glyphosate and tried to hinder the report from U. S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry (ATSDR) that indicated an increased cancer risk from glyphosate exposure. The EPA acknowledged that the studies used for it’s safety analysis were from Monsanto; however, the EPA did not require Monsanto/Bayer to update product labels indicating potential harm. The U. S. Supreme Court ruled that Monsanto/Bayer has no legal obligation to put a warning label on risk of cancers on its glyphosate products because the EPA did not require this. Lawsuits could start targeting institutions rather than the corporate giant. While state and local governments can not require the labels be present, they can choose not to use glyphosate.
• Glyphosate in bodies of water has been shown to harm aquatic life. Glyphosate likely causes harm to honey bees by decreasing foraging effectiveness and increasing risk of infection with overall increased death rate.
• In agricultural areas, early birth and reduced birth weight were linked to glyphosate use in the area. Known short-term and long-term effects of low birth weight increase healthcare costs. We may never get definitive answers regarding the limits of non-harmful exposure, but to protect the most vulnerable of us it makes sense to eliminate the exposure when and where we can.

The commissioners:
Barbara Baca — (505) 468-7027, District1@bernco.gov
Frank Baca — (505) 468-7448, District2@bernco.gov
Adriann Barboa — (505) 468-7108, District3@bernco.gov
Walt Benson — (505) 468-7010, District4@bernco.gov
Eric C. Olivas — (505) 468-7212, District5@bernco.gov