(Beyond Pesticides, July 11, 2008) According to an internal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) memorandum, a Supreme Court decision is undermining the agency’s ability to enforce the Clean Water Act (CWA). Two House Committee Chairmen have sent a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson for more information regarding EPA’s enforcement efforts in the wake of the 2006 decision Rapanos et ux., et al. v. United States. The Rapanos decision was split 4-1-4 over the question of Federal protections for waters of the United States, including wetlands, under the Clean Water Act. In the letter, Chairman James L. Oberstar of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Chairman Henry A. Waxman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, explain that information has come to them indicating that enforcement of key clean water programs is faltering. The memo, obtained by Greenpeace and released by the Congressmen, was sent by EPA Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Granta Y. Nakayama and cites enforcement problems created by the Rapanos case and the subsequent guidance. In the memorandum, Mr. Nakayama states, “Data collected from the regions shows that a significant portion of the CWA docket has been adversely affected.” The letter from Congressmen Waxman […]

(Beyond Pesticides, May 1, 2008) In testimony responsive to a request last year by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY), the Government Accountability Office (GAO) told the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on April 29 that EPA’s risk review process is plagued by delays, a lack of transparency, and interference from the White House and other agencies. In short, GAO concluded that the agency’s science is politicized, outdated, secret, and threatens the protection of people and the environment from harmful chemical exposures. In its testimony, GAO’s director of Natural Resources and Environment, John Stephenson, urged Congress to suspend EPA plans for reform, which GAO believes would institutionalize bad science, and require the agency to adopt its recommendations. The testimony comes on the heels of an April 10, 2008 EPA decision, effective immediately, to revise its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The program was severely criticized by GAO in a March 2008 report, Chemical Assessments: Low Productivity and New Interagency Review Process Limit the Usefulness and Credibility of EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (GAO-08-440). While EPA said it would consider the report’s recommendations, GAO said in its testimony this week, Toxic Chemicals: EPA’s New Assessment Process Will […]

(Beyond Pesticides, April 24, 2008) An investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released yesterday finds that 889 of nearly 1,600 staff scientists reported that they experienced political interference in their work over the last five years. The report, Interference at EPA: Science and Policies at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), sparked the setting up of a May congressional oversight hearing on the issue.The study follows previous UCS investigations of the Food and Drug Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and climate scientists at seven federal agencies, which also found significant administration manipulation of federal science. “Our investigation found an agency in crisis,” said Francesca Grifo, director of UCS’s Scientific Integrity Program. “Nearly 900 EPA scientists reported political interference in their scientific work. That’s 900 too many. Distorting science to accommodate a narrow political agenda threatens our environment, our health, and our democracy itself.” The UCS report comes amidst a flurry of controversial activity swirling around the EPA. Congress is currently investigating administration interference in a new chemical toxicity review process as well as California’s request to regulate tailpipe emissions. And in early May, the House Oversight and Government […]

(Beyond Pesticides, April 9, 2008) You have an opportunity to ask your U.S. Representative to stand up for the protection of health and the environment by joining with his/her colleagues in the U.S. Congress on a letter to stop a pro-pesticide amendment in the Farm Bill, which is still under consideration in a House-Senate Agriculture conference committee. The provision, and other substitute language now floating around, stops the U.S. Department of Agriculture from curtailing hazardous pesticide use through its conservation programs, either by targeting specific contaminants that are poisoning water or hurting wildlife, or facilitating a transition to organic practices. (See March 27, 2008 Daily News) Attached below is the “Dear Colleague” letter that your Rep. received from Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Donald Payne (D-NJ) and the letter s/he is being asked to sign that will go to the Farm Bill conferees. To sign on, tell your Rep. (get contact info here) to email Rep. Holt’s aide Michele Mulder [email protected] or call her at (609) 750-9365. “Dear Colleague” Letter to Your Member of Congress: Don’t Turn Back the Clock on Safer, Less-Toxic, More-Environmentally Friendly Pesticides! Dear Colleague: I am writing to ask you to join me on a letter […]

Action: Stop Congress from undermining USDA’s ability through its conservation programs to (i) curtail dangerous pesticides that exceed safety thresholds or have not been fully tested, and (ii) advance the transition to organic production and land management. Issue: USDA should retain its discretionary authority to restrict or prohibit specific classes of pesticides as a condition for participating in conservation programs. Language now on the table as a conference amendment in current Farm Bill negotiations: “The Secretary shall not prohibit [or “discriminate against” in the House-passed Farm Bill] the use of specific registered pesticides or classes of pesticides as a pre-condition for participation in programs under that [conservation] subtitle,” known as the Goodlatte pesticide amendment, named for its original sponsor, minority leader in the House Agriculture Committee Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Threat: Conferees to the Farm Bill (Democrat and Republican Senators and Representatives from the Agriculture Committees of Congress who are negotiating the final Farm Bill language), are considering a provision included in the House Farm Bill (SEC. 11305) that would prohibit USDA from exercising its authority to restrict specific pesticides in its conservation programs. Time Frame: Conferees are debating this issue now and intend to resolve it in the next […]

(Beyond Pesticides, March 18, 2008) Congress on Monday opened an investigation into allegations of potential conflicts of interests among scientists appointed to panels that advise the EPA on the toxic effects of chemicals. Members of EPA’s science advisory panel have been linked to powerful chemical manufacturers and interest groups. Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich), chair of the committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, have launched an investigation into the chemical industry’s undue influence on EPA panels. This investigation comes in light of last summer’s firing of Deborah Rice, PhD, a respected toxicologist from the Maine Centers for Disease Control, and a panel chair, at the request of the chemical industry lobby group, the American Chemistry Council (ACC), after she raised concerns about the flame retardant, deca-BDE or Deca, and urged the Maine state legislature to ban the chemical. The ACC complained that Dr. Rice “exhibited an appearance of a lack of impartiality.” The two chairmen, in a strongly worded letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, are demanding an explanation for the double standard that allows individuals with direct financial ties to the companies making the chemicals under review to […]

Reclaiming Our Healthy Future: Political change to protect the next generation, the 26th National Pesticide Forum, will be held March 14-16 at the University of California, Berkeley. This exciting environmental health conference is just about a month away, sign-up now to pay the pre-registration rate.Speakers, panels and workshops Many scientists, authors, community leaders and activists have been added to the Forum line-up, which already includes Arturo Rodriguez, Devra Davis and Tyrone Hayes. View the updated speaker list and schedule of events, which now includes a list of workshop topics. Bus tour of CA agriculture community Join the bus tour on Friday, March 14 to learn about the amazing efforts of activists from the San Joaquin Valley ­ the source of much of the state’s food for California, US and foreign markets. Tour begins at noon (meet at UC Berkeley Clark Kerr Conference Center). RSVP required. Travel and lodging We’ve found that inexpensive airfare is still available, but should be booked soon. Kayak seems to find good rates (round trip from Seattle $170; Chicago $285; New York & Washington, DC $300). Lodging in Berkeley is very tight the weekend of March 14-16. We recommend that you book your hotel now. A […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 28, 2008) Reclaiming Our Healthy Future: Political change to protect the next generation, the 26th National Pesticide Forum, will be held March 14-16 at the University of California, Berkeley. Register now to pay the pre-registration rate. Recent speaker additions include Marla Cone, author of Silent Snow and environmental journalist with the Los Angles Times; Paul Saoke, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility Kenya; and Ted Schettler MD, science director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. These speakers will be joining a line-up which already includes Arturo Rodriguez (UFW President), Devra Davis, Ph.D. (author and University of Pittsburgh professor of epidemiology) and Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology). Also, actress Kaiulani Lee will perform A Sense of Wonder, her one-woman play based on the life and works of Rachel Carson. The conference themes are pesticides and health with a particular focus on  children and workers, a vision for a just and sustainable food system, and creating political change. A tentative schedule of events is now available on the Forum webpage. Marla Cone is one of the nation’s premier environmental journalists. She has 22 years of experience covering environmental issues, including 18 years at […]

(Beyond Pesticides, January 8, 2008) Reclaiming Our Healthy Future: Political change to protect the next generation, the 26th National Pesticide Forum, will be held March 14-16 at the University of California, Berkeley. Register now to pay the pre-registration rate. James Roberts, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina and co-author of Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings, and Jim Riddle, outreach coordinator for the University of Minnesota Organic Ecology program, have recently been added to the program. Previously announced speakers include Arturo Rodriguez (UFW President), Devra Davis, Ph.D. (author and University of Pittsburgh professor of epidemiology) and Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology). Also, actress Kaiulani Lee will perform A Sense of Wonder, her one-woman play based on the life and works of Rachel Carson. Session topics include: Children’s health and public policy; Farmworker justice, organizing and consumer action; Building just and healthy food systems; Power of local activism to influence political change; Pesticides and the secret history of the war on cancer; Skills training sessions; DDT and malaria; Global warming and biofuels; Biomonitoring and pesticide drift; Lawns and landscapes; Managing indoor environments; Water quality and much more. Jim Riddle is outreach […]

(Beyond Pesticides, December 11, 2007) Arturo Rodriguez (UFW President), Devra Davis, Ph.D. (author and University of Pittsburgh professor of epidemiology) and Tyrone Hayes, Ph.D. (UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology) will be speaking at the 2008 National Pesticide Forum. The conference, Reclaiming Our Healthy Future: Political change to protect the next generation, will be held March 14-16, 2008 at the University of California, Berkeley. A native of Texas, Arturo S. Rodriguez has worked tirelessly to continue the legacy of Cesar Chavez since taking over the helm of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) upon the death of its legendary founder in 1993. Beyond winning fair contracts for its workers, the UFW continues to work to protect farmworkers from pesticides and other workplace hazards. Recent union victories are agreements with Gallo Vineyards Inc. and Coastal Berry Co., the largest winery and the largest strawberry employer in the U.S., as well as pacts protecting winery workers in Washington and mushroom workers in Florida. Devra Davis, Ph.D., a renowned environmental health expert, is professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Davis was designated a National Book Award Finalist for her book, When Smoke Ran Like […]

(Beyond Pesticides, November 29, 2007) As a follow-up to a Congressional hearing in September 2007, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is planning to develop a unified program referred to as “Partnerships for Environmental Public Health” (PEPH). The intent of the program is to support a variety of research, outreach and educational activities to prevent, reduce, or eliminate environmental exposures that may lead to adverse health outcomes in communities, with the active engagement of those communities in all stages of the work. To establish a vision for the PEPH Program, NIEHS is seeking input from the lay public, environmental health researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, policy makers and others with a vested interest in the effects of environmental exposures on public health. The NIEHS released a Request for Information (RFI) — available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-ES-08-002.html — with six open ended questions that will help the institute advance its commitment to environmental public health. NIEHS requests that public input be sent to Mr. Liam O’Fallon ([email protected]) by January 19, 2008. The following are easy ways to submit your responses: 1. Download interactive Adobe Acrobat form [http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/docs/pephform.pdf] that can be completed and submitted electronically; 2. Copy and paste the questions from the […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 26, 2007) The organic and sustainable farming communities gave mixed reviews for the farm bill adopted by the Senate Agriculture Committee on October 25, 2007. Groups applauded new funding for the Conservation Security Program and organic farming, as well as the strong livestock competition title and the ban on packer-ownership of livestock, but objected to the complete lack of any meaningful reform to commodity and conservation payment limitations, as well as funding cuts to value-added producer grants and lack of any funding for beginning farmer programs. According to the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the Committee bill provides $1.28 billion in additional funding for the landmark Conservation Security Program, sufficient to achieve an 80 million acre program level by 2013. The Coalition represents grassroots farm, rural and conservation organizations from across the country that advocate for public policies supporting the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources and rural communities. “The Senate bill does a good job of revamping the Conservation Security Program, improving on the solid foundation laid in the last farm bill, but simplifying the program and ensuring it will be available on a nationwide, continuous sign-up basis,” said Ferd Hoefner, policy director for the […]

(Beyond Pesticides, October 15, 2007) President Bush signed the Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act (PRIA II) into effect last Tuesday, renewing and amending the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA). Environmentalists, government officials and industry representatives hailed the passage of the law, marking a rare consensus among the groups. The Senate passed the bill (S. 1983) without opposition on August 2, and the House of Representatives gave its unanimous approval on September 24. The renewal legislation will extend funding through 2012 for EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), which originally received $200 million in registration fees in 2003. Environmental groups and trade organizations called Congressional passage of the act a victory for cooperative public policy development, led by the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), CropLife America and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “This is a win-win-win proposition,” said Phil Klein, CSPA’s senior vice president of legislative and public affairs. “The EPA Office of Pesticide Programs gets long-term stable funding. The environmental and farm worker communities get increased funding for worker protection, shorter timelines for reduced risk pesticides, a comprehensive review of pesticides every 15 years, and additional grant money for farm worker certification. And industry benefits from predictable timelines for bringing […]

PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY! Urge them to stand with Senator Harkin in fighting for a farm bill that invests in the future! Time is of the essence. If your Senator is on the Agriculture Committee (see list of Members and their contact information below) call and ask for their legislative aid that works on agriculture. If the agriculture aid is available, talk to them about your support for the programs in Chairman Harkin’s proposal (for more background on these programs, most of which are in the SAC platform, go to: www.sustainableagriculturcoalition.org). If the aid is unavailable, leave a short message of support, along with your name and phone number, on the aid’s voice mail or with the receptionist. If you prefer to write, fax a brief letter of support, addressed to the Senator, and remember to include your name and address and contact information. The fax numbers are listed below. You can also email your Senator by finding their entry on this page. The message is simple: “I am a constituent and am calling to urge Senator _________ to support Chairman Harkin’s farm bill proposal that would strengthen conservation, rural development beginning farmer, local food systems, and sustainable bioenergy […]

(Beyond Pesticides, August 6, 2007) On July 20, 2007 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm, Nutrition and Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419), commonly known as the Farm Bill, on a vote of 231-191, with 10 Representatives not voting. The vote fell generally along party lines with 19 Republicans (just six from the Agriculture Committee) voting for the bill, despite opposition from Republican leadership, the threat of a Presidential veto, and 14 Democrats voting against it. Organic and sustainable agriculture groups are giving the 2007 Farm Bill a mixed review. While taking several steps forward by increasing funding for programs that support the next generation of farmers and new marketing options for organic, sustainable producers, the bill as a whole moves in reverse with substantial weakening of current commodity and conservation payment limitations and a 30 percent funding cut for the Conservation Security Program. The National Organic Coalition (NOC), which includes the Rural Advancement Fund International, Center for Food Safety, Beyond Pesticides and others, developed a list of priorities for the Farm Bill. View a full analysis of the NOC requests adopted and rejected by the House Agriculture Committee. The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition reports that the Farm Bill […]

(Beyond Pesticides, April 23, 2007) Organic produce growers, beef producers, and others testified before Congress this week that industrialized farming has hurt rural communities, the American diet, and family farms and asked that the Farm Bill support the fast growing and successful family businesses that are producing organic foods. The disproportionate subsidies going to conventional agriculture and leaving out organic farmers was brought to light during the first-ever hearing about organics last week before the House Agriculture Committee. Organic farmers are vying this year to gain some federal support as Congress rewrites its five-year farm bill set to expire later this year. Organic growers, now believed to number more than 10,000 are experiencing rapid growth nationwide as interest in healthier food and a healthier environment continues to spread from local farmers’ markets to major supermarkets across the country. Despite this rise is organic markets, growers are not nearly keeping pace with consumer demand for organic products, estimated to be growing by 20 percent a year. Representative Dennis Cardoza, a California Democrat who chairs a new agriculture subcommittee on horticulture and organics, hopes to include organic farmers in the farm bill. Since the Great Depression, congressional farm bills have been dominated […]

(Beyond Pesticides, April 4, 2007) On March 29, 2007, Representative Hilda Solis (D-CA) testified before the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in support of legislation she introduced to honor Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers (UFW) gave hope that farm workers and others would finally stop being put at risk by deadly pesticides such as methyl bromide. In her testimony, Rep. Solis said, “Cesar Chavez’s work to protect health, the environment and workers’ rights paved the way for people like me to use my voice to fight for greater equality, to be courageous, and to bring justice to those who cannot achieve it themselves. Through this legislation, future generations of young Latinos and Latinas may have the opportunity to understand who Cesar Chavez was, the significance of his work, and know that yes, it can be done.” An organizer and man of vision who challenged the use of toxic chemicals used for agriculture, Ceasar Chavez was an ardent proponent of sustainable, natural farming methods, who himself grew vegetables organically at La Paz, the UFW headquarters and living complex in Keene, California. He was deeply concerned over the toxic burden of […]

(Beyond Pesticides, March 21, 2007) Farm and environmental groups are calling on Congress to make organic and family farming priorities in the 2007 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill provides hundreds of billions of dollars to the agricultural sector, but groups believe the subsidies, which primarily support large, chemical-intensive agribusiness, are distributed poorly and are wasting taxpayer dollars. Groups say that research priorities and other incentives must support the shift to organic and assist with compliance under the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA). This week, both the Senate and House Budget Committees will be marking up their respective versions of the U.S. budget for 2008. This budget resolution will determine how much money will be available to the Agriculture Committees for the 2007 Farm Bill that covers the next five years, and to the Appropriations Committees for agricultural funding for 2008. The National Organic Coalition (NOC), including the Rural Advancement Fund International, Center for Food Safety, Beyond Pesticides and others, is promoting an agenda that seeks equity for organic production under USDA programs. Read NOC Testimony regarding 2008 Appropriations Requests. California Coalition for Food and Farming (CCFF), joined by Pesticide Action Network North American and others, has created a Farm Bill […]

(Beyond Pesticides, March 12, 2007) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson appeared before the Environmental and Hazardous Materials and Energy and Air Quality Subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 8, 2007 to discuss the EPA’s Budget for the first time in his six-year tenure as Administrator. Representative Hilda Solis (D-CA) pressed the Administrator for answers related to EPA’s Performance Track Program, the closure of EPA libraries, changes made to the Toxic Release Inventory, closure of Region 10’s Office of Environmental Justice, failure to implement the Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice (EJ), and the overall budget for environmental justice. According to Rep. Solis, three Monsanto facilities are members of the Performance Track Program, despite the fact that their parent company paid one million dollars in fines to the Department of Justice last year after being criminally indicted in 2005. Eligibility of the program requires that a company not be convicted of any environmental fines within the past five years. When asked why the three Monsanto facilities were members, Mr. Johnson deferred to staff from EPA to comment, at which time Rep. Solis was told they must review the documents and respond at a later date. […]

(Beyond Pesticides, February 22, 2007) On February 16, 2007, Representatives Hilda Solice (D-CA), Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and Mark Udall (D-CO) and Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and John Kerry (D-MA) introduced the Environmental Justice Act of 2007 to the 110th Congress. The legislation was introduced to protect communities of color and low-income communities from the on-going disproportionate burden of the negative human health and environmental impacts of pollution that they are exposed to. The act was introduced as a way to fully implement the 1994 Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, an act to ensure that all federal agencies and their programs and rules are protecting our nation’s most vulnerable communities. The bill will require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fully implement recommendations included in three recent government reports and it will create reporting requirements, including an update on the inclusion of environmental justice in EPA’s emergency command response structure. The reports noted the failure of EPA to ensure that its policies, rules and regulations protect environmental justice communities. In 2004, the EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the agency has not fully implemented the Executive Order nor has […]