Tell Lawmakers to Protect American Consumers!

Chemical companies have inserted dangerous riders into the House version of the Farm Bill that would hijack the federal regulatory process for new GE crops. If the provisions pass, new GE crops could be fast-tracked to the marketplace without evaluation by federal agencies. Federal agencies ought to thoroughly assess the safety of GE crops before they're introduced to store shelves and our homes.

Tell lawmakers to reject the proposed riders and stand up to the powerful interests that want to deny us our right to know what's in our food!

Subject:

Your Letter:

Dear Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Peterson:

I am concerned about a number of riders that have attached to the House Farm Bill that will prevent Americans like me from knowing about their food.  These new provisions specifically:

• Outlaw any review of GE crops’ impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), or any other environmental law, or by any other agency other than USDA. For example, harm to protected species could occur without any input from our expert wildlife agencies.

• Prohibit other agencies from offering expert input in the review process and instead limit review to solely USDA under the Plant Protection Act (PPA). However, meaningful review would likely be eliminated by this rider, as USDA’s analysis of potential harmful impacts is barred from informing any approval decision. The agency is also barred from using its broader statutory authority granted in the PPA of 2000, and instead is limited to its old 1957 Federal  PPA authority.

• Force the backdoor approval of GE crops, even if USDA has not reviewed and approved them, through unreasonably short deadlines, which, if not met by the agency, would default to immediate approval and commercialization. The provisions would also bar any agency funds to be spent on impacts analysis beyond the riders’ narrow and time-forced approval.

• Codify a dangerous national policy of allowing transgenic contamination in crops and foods, risking loss of GE-sensitive domestic and export markets and loss of biodiversity.

• Limit EPA’s oversight of biotech crops engineered to produce or contain a pesticide by forcing the agency to choose the least burdensome choice for industry, regardless of environmental consequences.

Please remove these dangerous riders and allow the USDA to protect America’s food supply and ensure every citizen’s right to know about their food.

Sincerely,

House Agriculture Committee

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