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["Lynda" <lurine AT softcom.net>]

 Subje [NECIS]U.S. issue - State Preemption bills - PLEASE FORWARD TO  ct:
APPROPRIATE WEED/NATIVE PLANT LISTS

U.S. folks - I'm updating you on the movement in various State legislatures
to adopt new laws that override local regulation of seeds and/or whole
plants.  This is a coordinated biotech industry response to some California
counties having adopted ordinances that prohibited planting of genetically
engineered (GE) crops. These State preemption bills sweep very broadly and
some block any local regulation of seeds or plants, even if they may present
weediness risks in that locality.   None of the bills are limited to just GE
crops.

The Seed Law Preemption Tracker,
 http://www.environmentalcommons.org/gmo-tracker.html  provides the status
of those pending bills, which tend to follow the same pattern, but vary of
course from State to State.  States now listed there indicate that the laws
have already progressed thru the Legislatures in at least 11 States -  AZ,
GE, ID, IN, IA, KS, ND, OK, PA, SD, and WV.

Bills are still active and pending in Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio.

There may be others and the number grows almost daily.

Here, for example is the sweeping operative language in the North Carolina
bill, Senate Bill 631:

"No county, city, or other political subdivision of the State shall adopt or
continue in effect any ordinance, rule, regulation, or resolution regulating
the use, sale, distribution, storage, transportation, disposal, labeling,
registration, or handling of any plant or plant pest."

Some of us who work on GE crop issues have put together a press release and
backgrounder that give more details, at these links.

http://www.environmentalcommons.org/seed-law-preemption.html

http://www.environmentalcommons.org/seedlawbackgrounder.html

Again, the effect of these bills could be to expose counties and towns to
greater risk from invasive plants.  Please forward this info to appropriate
native plant and anti-weed lists.  Native plant and anti-weed folks are
urged to look out for these bills and consider  advocating against them,
particularly where they are still pending - Florida, North Carolina, and
Ohio.

Peter T. Jenkins, Attorney/Policy Analyst
Center for Food Safety
International Center for Technology Assessment
660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 302
Washington, DC 20003 USA
Tel: 202.547.9359 ext. 13
Fax: 202.547.9429
Email: peterjenkins AT icta.org