Alaska mulls liability protections for pesticide on poles

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The Alaska Senate is considering a bill that would exempt utility companies from liability related to a pesticide used on most wooden power poles in the state.

The bill comes after federal wildlife officials alerted state authorities to “concerning levels’’ of the pesticide in areas on the Kenai Peninsula, KTOO Public Media in Juneau reported Thursday.

Most power poles are treated with the pesticide Pentachlorophenol. In 2015, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists found elevated levels of the pesticide in soils around power poles in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge....