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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Fwd: URGENT Action Alert: Tell EPA to Get Dow to Withdraw Clopyralid Persistent Herbicide TODAY!!
  • Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2002 23:12:44 -0700

Subject: URGENT Action Alert: Tell EPA to Get Dow
to Withdraw Clopyralid Persistent Herbicide TODAY!!
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 21:44:09 -0700
From: Chrys Ostrander <bright@FAMRC.ORG>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

PLEASE ACT TODAY

Hi Folks,

EPA has caved in to diversionary tactics by DOW Agrosciences and is about to
clear the
persistent herbicide clopyralid for continued use in ways that directly
threaten the
composting industry as well as thousands of organic farmers and gardeners by
truncating the official comment period on proposed regulations.

The Grassroots Recycling Network has been closely monitoring this issue and
has a
letter to EPA you can send right from their website www.grrn.org. Click on the
"Make
DOW Responsible" link.

Or, you can look at the wording of the GRRN sample letter below and compose
your own
message right from your email program, sending it to Mr. James A. Hollins at
hollins.james@epa.gov

PLEASE ACT TODAY. EPA has eviscerated the comment period and it ends on Sept.
27!

For more information on Dow's persistent herbicide visit
www.grrn.org/dow/background.html20

Sample Letter:

To: Mr. James A. Hollins - Office of Pesticide Programs - 7502C
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
hollins.james@epa.gov

Dear Mr. Hollins,

The composting industry is threatened by the increasingly widespread use of a
particularly persistent herbicide made by Dow AgroSciences, a subsidiary of
Dow
Chemical Company. The taxpayers of Spokane WA recently had to pay $950,000
to buy out
a local municipal composting operation whose product was contaminated with
clopyralid,
the active ingredient in Dow's herbicide.

In an effort to preempt the stronger ban recently signed into law in
California, Dow
AgroSciences has asked U.S. EPA to absolve itself of responsibility by simply
adding a
warning to labels cautioning users not to apply the herbicide on turf that
could be
composted. Dow has also asked EPA to delete approval for 'residential turf.'

Unfortunately, Dow's requested action neither addresses the most significant
uses of
clopyralid products nor provides adequate warning of all the dangers
presented by the
product. The vast majority of product is applied by commercial and
agricultural
applicators, and clippings from commercial turf (the majority of turf in some
states)
frequently wind up in municipal compost programs. Dow's toxic herbicide
threatens
taxpayer investments in these programs and an entire industry engaged in
enhancing the
environment.

I urge you to reject Dow's requests and to tell Dow that it is their
responsibility to
solve the problem, not the end-user's. Apply the Precautionary Principle:
Withdraw
the product until it can be shown to be safe.

Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]


GRRN Press Release follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 24, 2002

Contact: Bill Sheehan (Ga.) 706-613-7121

David Wood (Wisc.) 608-270-0940

EPA virtually eliminates opportunity for public comment on toxic Dow
herbicide

ATHENS, Ga. - While common herbicides produced and marketed by Dow
AgroSciences continue in use and cause significant financial harm to
successful composting operations, an action by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency at the request of Dow has all but closed the door for
public comments on this important issue.

The composting industry is threatened by the increasingly widespread use
of a particularly persistent herbicide made by Dow AgroSciences, a
subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company. The taxpayers of Spokane WA are
having to pay $950,000 to buy the city out of a contract with a
composting company whose product was contaminated with clopyralid, the
active ingredient in Dow herbicides like Confront. Compost contaminated
with clopyralid residues have been found in several other states and
cities. Compost made from grass clippings cut from clopyralid-treated
lawns has severely stunted certain food plants to which the compost is
applied.

"Composting is one of the oldest and easiest types of recycling," says
Bill Sheehan, executive director of the GrassRoots Recycling Network.
"Dow's toxic products not only kill weeds, they are killing financially
successful compost programs that keep thousands of tons of organic
material out of landfills."

GRRN has led the grassroots effort demanding that Dow follow the
Precautionary Principle - take responsibility for the impacts of their
products and remove them from use until they can be proven safe.

Recently, however, in an effort to preempt a stronger state ban in
California, Dow AgroSciences asked U.S. EPA to absolve Dow of
responsibility by simply adding a warning to product labels cautioning
commercial users not to apply the herbicide on turf that could be
composted. That action is not open to public comment, according to EPA.
Dow also asked EPA to delete application of the product on "residential
turf" as an approved use. On August 28th, EPA published public notice
of the proposed deletion action in the Federal Register with a 6-month
comment period - although they failed to include two of the three
technical source forms of clopyralid.20

Incredibly, EPA agreed with Dow's request to shorten the public comment
period because the issue is controversial, according to an EPA
spokesperson. On September 20th, EPA issued a correction in the Federal
Register that ends the public comment period on September 27th. This
followed by five days the signing into law of the California bill (AB
2356) that goes beyond Dow's self-serving requests for limited EPA
action. 20

"Whether or not Dow is getting a free ride from the EPA is
unclear, but to virtually exclude the opportunity for meaningful public
engagement on this issue is shocking," continues GRRN's Sheehan. Only
through GRRN's pursuit of this issue was EPA's error first detected and
an opportunity for public comments offered. Concerned citizens can send
comments to the EPA at GRRN's Web Action Center,
http://action.grrn.org/action/.

Dow's requested action neither addresses the most significant uses of
clopyralid products nor provides adequate warning of all the dangers
presented by the product. The vast majority of product is applied by
commercial and agricultural applicators, and clippings from commercial
turf (the majority of turf in some states) frequently wind up in
municipal compost programs.

****

The GrassRoots Recycling Network is a North American network of waste
reduction activists and professionals promoting producer responsibility
and Zero Waste as critical elements of a sustainable society. For more
information on Dow's persistent herbicide visit
www.grrn.org/dow/background.html20


********************************
Bill Sheehan
Executive Director
GrassRoots Recycling Network
P.O. Box 6707, Athens, GA 30604-6707
Tel: 706-613-7121 Fax: 706-613-7123
Email: zerowaste@grrn.org20
Web: www.grrn.org
********************************

Forwarded by:
Chrys Ostrander
33495 Mill Canyon Rd.
Davenport, WA 99122
509-725-0610
chrys@thefutureisorganic.net





  • [permaculture] Fwd: URGENT Action Alert: Tell EPA to Get Dow to Withdraw Clopyralid Persistent Herbicide TODAY!!, Lawrence F. London, Jr., 09/28/2002

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