ACTION ALERT, DEADLINE TONIGHT July 3 at 11:59 PM EDT: FARM CRISIS IN TEXAS Courtesy of Monsanto. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting comments on a petition filed by the Texas Department of Agriculture to permit emergency use of the hazardous herbicide PROPAZINE to kill herbicide resistant weeds infesting Texas cotton. Calling the resistant weeds an emergency, Texas requested to use hundreds of thousands of pounds of the toxic chemical on up to three million acres of cotton. Granting the emergency request would lead to a 10-fold increase in the use of the toxic herbicide, from just 20,000 to 50,000 pounds in 2010 and 2011 to 280,000 pounds per year. “This request clearly demonstrates that herbicide-resistant crops – by generating an epidemic of resistant weeds – lead directly to increased use of hazardous chemicals,” said Bill Freese, Science Policy Analyst at the Center for Food Safety. “EPA should reject this request. Herbicide-resistant crops lead to increased herbicide use and this is just the beginning. Monsanto, Dow Chemical, and the other pesticide-seed giants have developed a host of genetically engineered crops that will trigger a huge spike in the use of toxic weed-killers. This is hazardous to farmers, to consumers and to the environment, added Freese. One pigweed plant can produce thousands of seeds, so it doesnt take many plants to get you in trouble in a hurry, said Walt Hagood, a third-generation farmer who grows cotton, grain sorghum, wheat and other crops near Lubbock, Texas. In some places, pigweed is starting to take whole fields. click on the graphic to find the share button... Submit a comment to the EPA to tell them they should not approve the use of propazine on Texas cotton fields. Deadline for comment is tonight at 11:59 PM EDT. Please comment now: regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0419-0001 READ: centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/3247/texas-requests-emergency-use-of-hazardous-herbicide-to-kill-superweeds# READ MORE: online.wsj/news/article_email/texas-tries-last-ditch-attack-on-super-weed-1403221544-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwMDEyNDAyWj READ: There are no safe levels of endocrine disruptors: press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/er.2011-1050
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:22:58 +0000
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