Archived News

GMOs: Hawai'i

4/08: Hawai'ian Activists Forced to Kill GMO Taro Bill

GMOs: Maine

3/08: Montville, Maine passes ordinance banning GMOs from cultivation in their community

GMOs: California

3/08: GMO ban efforts start in Lake, Monterey counties

Precautionary Principle

1/08: Mendocino County Precautionary Principle pilot: Comment period for Mosquito Control open until February 22, 2008

Precautionary Principle

1/08: Mendocino County kicks off precautionary principle pilot with workshop on mosquito controls

Precautionary Principle

9/07: Mendocino County Begins Precautionary Principle Pilot Programs

GMOs: National

8/07: USDA requests comments on outdoor production of GMO pharmaceutical crops.

Center for Ethics and Toxics

8/07: CETOS ceased operation following the death of founder Marc Lappé. Environmental Commons is hosting the CETOS website as a tribute to Dr. Lappé's ground-breaking work. Britt Bailey, Director of Environmental Commons, worked with Marc for many years, co-directed CETOS, and was a close friend to the very end.

Precautionary Principle

8/07: Mendocino Partnership for the Precautionary Principle finalizes Public Participation Guidelines

Food Democracy: National

8/07: 2008 Schedule of State Legislatures now available.

Alimentarios locales

8/07: Local Food fact sheets now available in Spanish -
Alimentarios locales: Hojas de información.

Precautionary Principle

6/07: Mendocino County completes a pilot procedure to implement the Precautionary Principle.

Food Democracy: National

5/07: US House may prevent states from protecting food supply

GMOs: California & Arkansas

5/07: State Boards Ban Planting of Genetically Modified Rice

Food Democracy: National

5/07: Legislation Tracker follows state food bills

Food Democracy: Missouri

5/07: Missouri Legislature Kills the CAFO Bill

Local Foods: National

4/07: States introduce bills to support local food systems.

GMOs: California

4/07: Genetic engineering bill held over in California Assembly.

GMOs: National

3/07: States introduce numerous bills to regulate genetically modified foods.

GMOs: California

3/07: California Assemblyman Huffman introduces bill to protect California farmers, consumers, and the food supply from the risks posed by genetically modified crops.

GMOs: New Mexico

3/07: Santa Fe County, New Mexico passes Seed Sovereignty resolution.

Local Food

2/07: Kansas City Star features our Local Food fact sheets:

Food Democracy

2/07: EC continues to track agriculture-based state legislation in 2007.

Precautionary Principle

2/07: Precautionary Partnership Develops Framework for Mendocino Stormwater Program.

Food Democracy: Missouri

2/07: Missouri legislators attempt total preemption of local laws regarding agricultural operations and farming-related activity.

Food Democracy: National

12/06: Seed & plant preemption bills fail in 2006 legislatures

Non-GMO Education and Dialogue with Percy Schmeiser

Mon, Nov 13 Santa Cruz Tue, Nov 14 Berkeley Thu, Nov 16 Sonoma Fri, Nov 17 Ukiah Sat, Nov 18 Manchester

Genetically Modified Organisms

11/06: USDA grants "after the fact" approval to Bayer's illegal genetically modified rice. November 25, 2006: USDA approves Bayer's genetically engineered LL601 rice variety, months after it was discovered illegally contaminating rice supplies throughout the US.

Local Food

10/06: Food as Commodity or Food for Community?
Environmental Commons releases a series of fact sheets on Local Food.

Precautionary Principle

10/06: Mendocino County chooses pilot departments and project to incorporate Precautionary Principle into government decision-making.

Food Democracy: California

9/06: Attempt to strip local authority over seeds and plants fails in California legislature

Food Democracy: National

8/06: 2007 Schedule of State Legislatures

Genetically Modified Organisms

8/06: Genetic Pollution Threatens Trade, Health and the Environment

Genetically Modified Organisms

8/06: Unapproved, Genetically Engineered Rice Found in Food Supply

Genetically Modified Organisms

8/06: Grass Created in Lab Is Found in the Wild

Food Democracy: California

6/06: June 28: California Assembly Agriculture Committee unanimously supports SB1056. This bill strips local control of seeds, claiming the state should have sole authority of seeds and nursery stock.

Precautionary Principle

6/06: June 27: Mendocino County Board of Supervisors votes to adopt a Precautionary Principle Policy.

Food Democracy: National

6/06: Congressional Preemption of State Laws and Regulations A report prepared by the United States House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform - Minority Staff (June 2006)

Genetically Modified Organisms

6/06: Briefing Report: Deficiencies in Federal Regulatory Oversight of Genetically Engineered Crops, by Brian Tokar, June 2006

Food Democracy: California

6/06: Limit on genetic farming in Santa Cruz.

Food Democracy: National

4/06: Jim Hightower talks about "Stealing Local Democratic Authority" and urges people to contact Environmental Commons in his nationally syndicated radio commentary.

Precautionary Principle

4/06: Mendocino County committee finalizes a Draft Precautionary Principle Policy. The Board of Supervisors will vote on adoption of the Policy on June 27.

Food Democracy: National

3/06: Update on "Seed Preemption" Bills being introduced to strip local control of our food supply.

Precautionary Principle

3/06: Mendocino County Ad Hoc Committee drafts language for Precautionary Principle Policy.

Toxics: Pesticide Use in Mendocino County

1/06: Pesticide Use in Mendocino County's Timber and Winegrape Industries - Environmental Commons and Sierra Club Mendocino Group team-up to provide an overview of the most widely used pesticides in Mendocino County, CA agriculture.

Food Democracy: California

12/05: Californians Prepare to Protect Local Control of Food & Farming.
"Regardless of how you feel about the GMO issue, taking away local voters' rights is a very serious threat to democracy."

Schedule of State Legislatures

10/05: 2006 Schedule of State Legislatures detailing session beginnings, when new bills can be introduced, and projected adjournment dates. [updated 3/06]

Precautionary Principle

10/05: Mendocino Supervisors begin study of Precautionary Principle

Biodiesel - "How to" Guide

10/05: Learn How to Start a Biodiesel Station in Mendocino County, California. This report provides a step by step guide.

Precautionary Principle

9/05: Mendocino County Board considering adoption of the Precautionary Principle.

Local control in California protected - for now

9/05: Sustainable agriculture activists hold off California preemption bill.

Op-ed in San Francisco Chronicle

7/05: Turning Point for California's Farm Industry: Industry aims to strip local control of food supply
- from Environmental Commons and Cal GE Free.

California bill would preempt local control

7/05: California bill would strip local authority over seeds, plants and food supply:
- More information
- Seed law tracker

Protecting the Endangered Species Act

6/05: Environmental Commons, represented by Britt Bailey, and other organizations meet with Congressman Thompson to discuss the need to protect the Endangered Species Act.

Precautionary Principle

6/05:Mendocino Public Health Board requests that the County Board of Supervisors study implementation of the precautionary principle in Mendocino County decision-making.
See:
- Press Release (6/15/05)
- Backgrounder

Pre-empting local rights to control seeds & plants

5/05: Industry aims to strip local control of food supply.
See:
- Press Release (5/24/05)
- Backgrounder

Point Arena becomes second California city to restrict growing of genetically modified organisms

5/05: See:
- Press Release 5/25/05
- Read Ordinance

Environmental Commons in the News

5/05: Union of Concerned Scientists directs its members to Environmental Commons for information on seed and plant preemption bills.

US Dept. of Agriculture is drafting the first ever Environmental Impact Statement for a genetically modified organism

4/05: USDA holding GMO creeping bent grass forums. Public comments accepted until June 1, 2005.

Tracking attempts to preempt local control over seeds & plants

4/05: 2005 Seed & Plant Law Preemption Tracker
State legislators are introducing laws prohibiting local governments and citizenry from passing resolutions, ordinances, or initiatives related to seeds and plants including genetically modified ones.

Critical habitat

3/05: Environmental Commons comments on the Bush Administration's proposal to reduce by 80% lands designated as critical habitat for endangered and threatened species.

Herbicide Imazapyr used in Mendocino County forests

2/05: Mendocino Redwood Company Uses Thousands of Pounds of Broad Spectrum Herbicide in Mendocino Forests. Herbicide's persistence troublesome to the ecosystem.

Europe: GMO-free regions

2/05: Representatives of 20 European regions met in Florence, Italy to sign a charter proclaiming their right to declare themselves "GMO-free" regions. The organizers intend to work within the current EU legal framework to ban biotech crop production.

Monitoring water quality

1/05: Environmental Commons Supports State Water Board's Right to Require Monitoring for Private Land Timber Harvesting

Sediment in Rivers impairs Salmon

11/04: New Study (K.B. Suttle et al) Reveals How Sediment in Rivers impairs Salmon

Pesticide Experiment on Kids

11/04: American Chemical Council (ACC) and EPA Poised to Perform Pesticide Experiment on Kids

GMO Bentgrass

9/04: USDA Decides to Develop First Ever Environmental Impact Statement for Monsanto's Golf Course Grass

Bureau of Land Management Proposes Opening Additional Acres to Oil and Gas Leasing

08/24/04: The National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska (NPRA), just west of the Arctic National Wildlife refuge, was set aside about 100 years ago by the federal government as an oil field to be tapped only in a time of dire need. Thus far, the Reserve has remained untouched even under the pressures of the 1970s energy crisis.

Alaska National Wildlife Refuge photo: US Geological Survey

The Plan calls for opening an additional 387,000 acres of land to oil and gas leasing. The Draft plan reconsiders opening current "no activity zones" south of Teshekpuk Lake and other areas currently off limits to the oil industry. Conoco-Phillips has recently received permits to drill several exploratory wells immediately west of Teshekpuk Lake as well as several wells to the southeast of the lake. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of the northeastern reserve is already open to oil and gas companies. For more information see: www.northern.org Read the BLM-Alaska Press Release Read the Draft Plan Comment on the Policy - see Factsheet

Hatchery Fish Fiasco

5/28/04: The National Marine Fisheries Service has published its "hatchery policy" for salmon species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Despite prominent scientists' statements that "hatchery fish reduce fitness and inhibit future adaptation of natural populations," the current Bush administration's policy would consider hatchery fish that are closely related to naturally spawning salmon in all of the current ESA-listed salmon groups.

Wild Salmon copyright Will Guyan

This policy will have harmful ecological and economic effects on the preservation and recovery of wild salmon. Read the National Marine Fisheries Service Press Release, May 28, 2004 Read the Federal Register Document Read the Scientific Panel Report in Science Magazine Comment on the Policy - see Factsheet Read our Letter to NMFS

GMO-Free Mendocino

3/04: Mendocino County becomes the first county in the United States to ban the growing of genetically modified crops and animals.