County Committee continues study of precautionary principle and moves towards drafting language for ordinance

The Precautionary Principle is a guiding framework for decision-making that anticipates how our actions will affect the environment and the health of future generations.

In April 2005 a group of folks from throughout Mendocino County calling ourselves the "Mendocino Partnership for the Precautionary Principle" met and began looking into the adoption of the Precautionary Principle for use in County decision-making.

Our efforts led us to encouraging the Board of Supervisors to study (for 90 days) the implementation and possible adoption of a PP ordinance. That study session is taking place in the General Government committee.

On November 14, the General Government Committee of the Mendocino Board of Supervisors conducted the second study session. A number of people from the Mendocino Partnership for the Precautionary Principle and individuals from county government were present. Individuals present from within county government included Gary Hudson (Sheriff's Department), Dean Wolbach (Air Quality), John Rogers (Environmental Health ), Carol Mordhorst (Public Health), Pete Holstad (General Services), and John Ball (CEO).

The meeting began with Supervisor Smith providing a brief overview of the item and a summary of the first study session. The crux of the meeting centered on providing examples of how the Principle could be applied to the routine types of decisions made by individual departments.

Many of the individuals from within county government stated they believed the Principle was already in use in an informal way. John Rogers discussed the ways in which the Principle was being applied to the West Nile Virus situation. And, Gary Hudson mentioned that the Principle would help guide their decisions regarding purchasing of goods for the county jail. There was agreement that formalizing Precautionary Principle thinking by way of an ordinance and developing frameworks for decision-making would be of real value to the departments.

While the values of the Principle were notes, concerns were also expressed. Of concern was the breadth and scope of the Precautionary Principle. Questions focused on how departments would develop the Precautionary framework and whether such a framework would be manageable. All agreed that pilot projects within departments would need to be chosen as a practical way to begin to develop a framework for Precautionary decision-making.

The study session ended with an agreement to move forward with developing language for an ordinance with the intent of taking a draft ordinance to the Board perhaps in the early part of 2006. County Counsel will begin drafting ordinance language with the assistance of Carol Mordhorst, Director of Public Health, and Britt Bailey, Director of Environmental Commons.

The third and final Precautionary Principle study session will take place in early 2006 in an ad hoc committee if approved by the Board of Supervisors. This next meeting will center on reviewing the draft language for an ordinance. Meeting date to be announced.

See also: the General Government Committee's November 14 Minutes. 40K