This newspaper reiterates its express opposition to Senate Bill 20, an ill-advised proposal that would restrict use of pesticides within five miles of a school.

The Hood River Grower-Shipper Association figures that, if SB 20 is signed into law, tree fruit production would be shut down on about 6,000 acres in the valley. The remaining 9,000 acres of farm land would have chemical use even more stringently regulated.

All but one school in the county (Cascade Locks) is in proximity to an orchard. But, the lesser-known ramifications of the bill are the troublesome impacts on the use of pesticides — including ant control chemicals — in households.

Senate Bill 20 goes beyond farms, but in Hood River County it is the farms that would feel its brunt. Hood River growers are justifiably questioning the science behind the bill.

Sen. Rick Metsger and Rep. Patti Smith are waging a battle against SB 20 emerging from committee and drifting closer to law. We encourage them to keep at it.

Proponents of the bill need to be reminded of two things: First, the farmers themselves, in many cases, have children attending those same schools.