MONTEREY -- A Monterey environmental group is scheduled for a hearing Thursday in a Monterey County courtroom to get a temporary injunction extended to stop the aerial spraying of a synthetic pheromone designed to eradicate the invasive light brown apple moth.

Helping Our Peninsula's Environment was granted a temporary seven-day injunction to stop the California Food and Drug Administration from spraying Checkmate LBAM-F pheromones over Monterey County.

HOPE contends that the synthetic pheromone has not been tested properly, that the CDFA needs to prepare an environmental impact report, that there are better ways to fight the moth and that the CDFA has created a "false alarm," according to HOPE Director David Dilworth.

"The eradication of the moth is impossible and the CDFA knows it," Dilworth said. "There is no emergency, it's a false alarm."

HOPE advocates the use of sticky traps that they claim are more effective, cheaper than aerial spraying and safer.

The injunction, issued Oct. 10, has stopped future spraying but the CDFA managed to get one treatment done between Sept. 11 and 13 that covered Monterey, Seaside, Marina and Pacific Grove.

CDFA spokesman Steve Lyle said the CDFA intends to wait for the judge's decision Thursday before deciding to continue the plan or begin looking at alternatives.

The CDFA today maintained that all research has indicated the chemical is not harmful to people and pets.

The spraying went ahead without an environmental impact report because the invasive moth created an "emergency situation" exempting it from the report. The CDFA intends to complete an EIR after the spraying, Lyle said.

"To wait until the report is prepared can be a year or more," Lyle said. "If you wait for that part of the process you run a greater risk."

"Uniformly people had a lot of questions and there were certainly people that were outraged," Monterey city spokeswoman Anne McGrath said about hundreds of people who attended an Aug. 29 City Council meeting.

The Santa Cruz City Council voted 4-3 Oct. 9 in favor of pursuing legal action to halt the spraying. The council has not decided on which action to take, but is considering either joining the HOPE suit or filing separately, according to Santa Cruz Mayor Emily Reilly.

"I have been disturbed for weeks about the path the state has taken," Reilly said. Reilly outlined three issues she said she keeps hearing from residents: is there really an emergency? Is the highly invasive spraying really the best method? What are other ingredients used in the distribution method?

The Monterey City Council has not taken any legal action but did issue a unanimous statement opposed to the aerial spraying, according to city spokeswoman Anne McGrath.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hear a presentation on the apple moth treatment plan at its evening meeting tonight at 7 p.m.

Two informational open house meetings in Santa Cruz with the CDFA are planned for more discussion about the spraying. On Oct. 22 at the Cocoanut Grove Grand Ball Room at 400 Beach St. from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. A second meeting is scheduled for Oct. 23 at the University Inn and Conference Center at 611 Ocean St.

HOPE and the CDFA are scheduled to appear in a Monterey County Superior Court Thursday at 9 a.m. in Monterey.

Checkmate LBAM-F works by confusing male moths with the synthetic pheromone disrupting the breeding cycle. The light brown apple moth is native to Australia and has a voracious appetite for more than 250 plants.