Environmental groups weighing appeal of Shell's air permit

When does environmental terrorism stop?
About a dozen Republican U.S. senators have attached an amendment to the China currency bill to weaken the federal pesticide law, S. 718, which was currently approved by the Senate Agricultural Committee.

Pesticides are mostly regulated under a notoriously weak, industry-friendly law: the Federal Insecticide Fungicide Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). But stronger environmental statutes like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act also address pesticides in ways that allow for better science, more locally appropriate solutions and less industry influence. The pesticide lobby wants to keep all regulation under FIFRA, because they know how to sidestep and subvert this statute.

Currently pesticide applicators are required to obtain permits through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System - these are known as NPDES permits.

Supporters of S. 718 incorrectly claim that NPDES permits are redundant since pesticides are registered under FIFRA. The truth is that FIFRA registration only affects how pesticides are labeled and sold, not how they impact water quality, the environment and public health.

By contrast, NPDES permits are issued with the goal of reducing pesticide runoff into waterways. There's a big difference!

Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities. As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States...In most cases, the NPDES permit program is administered by authorized states. Since its introduction in 1972, the NPDES permit program is responsible for significant improvements to our Nation's water quality.

The US Geological Society has uncovered that so many pesticides have been sprayed on agriculture that it is actually raining pesticides. USGS says: "National use of pesticides grew from about 540 million pounds in 1964 to about 1.1 billion pounds in 1993."

Those pesticides are permeating soils, water tables, and the groundwater aquifers as well as rising into the air. And, when it rains, it rains pesticides.

According to Charles Benbrook, Ph.D. and chief scientist for the Organic Center (he was formerly with the National Academy of Sciences):

œThe impact of the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) corn, soybean, and cotton on pesticide use in the United States, drawing principally on data from the United States Department of Agriculture...have been responsible for an increase of 383 million pounds of herbicide use in the U.S. over the first 13 years of commercial use of GE crops (1996-2008).

"This dramatic increase in the volume of herbicides applied swamps the decrease in insecticide use attributable to GE corn and cotton, making the overall chemical footprint of today's GE crops decidedly negative. The report identifies, and discusses in detail, the primary cause of the increase -- the emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds." [Source: "Critical Issue Report: The First Thirteen Years..Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years," November 2009, Charles Benbrook, Ph.D.
http://www.combat-monsanto.co.uk/IMG/pdf/Rapport_Benbrooke.pdf

How has this massive amount of pesticide spraying affected our health in the USA?

"Nearly 1,400 pesticides have been registered (i.e., approved) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (under FIFRA, the basic federal pesticide law) for agricultural and non-agricultural use. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to brain/central nervous system (CNS), breast, colon, lung, ovarian (female spouses), pancreatic, kidney, testicular, and stomach cancers, as well as Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and soft tissue sarcoma. Pesticide-exposed farmers, pesticide applicators, crop duster pilots, and manufacturers also have been found to have elevated rates of prostate cancer, melanoma, other skin cancers, and cancer of the lip.

Approximately 40 chemicals classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as known, probable, or possible human carcinogens, are used in EPA-registered pesticides now on the market..

America's drinking water comes from groundwater and rain that fills streams, reservoirs, rivers, lakes, and ultimately, the oceans. Chemicals improperly stored and disposed of by industry and individuals alike soak into the soil and eventually leach into groundwater. As clouds and rain, water absorbs chemicals in the air..." Pesticides which cause cancers and other various diseases are showing up in rainwater. Source: Chapter 2, Exposure to Contaminants from Agricultural Sources of the President Cancer Panel 2010. http://tinyurl.com/2dgxawc

We need stronger laws to protect our waters, not weaker ones. Alike livestock, wildlife, and fisheries, people and pets either consume, bathe, or recreate in surface waters. Organic crops and livestock also benefit from surface waters which are increasingly contaminated with pesticides and industrial chemicals. These waters may be fresh compared to salt water, but they are not free from petrochemical pesticides and industrial poisons. Unlike other countries, who ban pesticides tested and found to cause harm, the U.S. takes more subtle approach such as controls through NPDES permits program. But, without those permits, we have very little or nothing to protect us.

As I found out searching for water filters, the filters can only reduce a couple handfuls of the pesticides in use today. Refrigerator filters reduce even less, according to NSF. Without standards, water filter companies cannot guarantee that carbon filters or reverse osmosis can reduce pesticides and heavy metals in our drinking water. And, vast amounts of pesticides are in our food. So far, I've found no water filter guaranteed to reduce glyphosate, or glufosinate herbicides, which are used with genetically engineered seeds, and incessantly sprayed on agriculture. This is showing up in surface and ground water, and may be in the rain as well from incessant spraying of these new seeds is incredible. Super-weeds and super insects are now being created when Monsanto told the world they could kill them--all is due to incessant spraying. The weeds that Monsanto claimed they could fight, are now immune to Roundup. And the same holds true for the Bt soil pathogen, sprayed on corn, including sweet corn, which has recently been released into the marketplace. Farmers unable to kill herbicide resistant pests are now offered even more toxic herbicide cocktails, which will cause our demise.

Meanwhile, S.718, will allow more herbicides in waterways without any oversight, poisoning rather than reducing the pollution of streams, rivers, the oceans fisheries, and beverage for humans and wildlife alike.

Telephone the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request. Request that your U.S. Senators vote against S. 718, which will weaken the federal pesticide law by eliminating the NPDES permit program, which reduces pesticides in our surface waters.