Summary
In 2015, the group Lane County Community Rights submitted an ordinance banning the aerial spray of herbicides and asserting residents’ rights to be free from chemical trespass and to have clean air, water, and soil. The proposed ordinance also cited a need to protect the environment from contamination by aerial spray of herbicides. Although the proposed ordinance received enough signatures to go on the 2018 ballot, the County Clerk blocked the initiative and refused to put it on the ballot. Lane County Community Rights filed a lawsuit against the county. The group appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court, but lost its appeal to have the initiative placed on the ballot.