On 1 Sep 2000, at 12:13, Biotech Activists wrote:

09/01/2000

Sample Resolution

8/31/00 Now it's Cleveland

(31 August - Cropchoice News) –

Now, Cropchoice has been sent a copy of a GMO labeling resolution recently passed by the city council in Cleveland, Ohio.

Except for the Boulder action, the new resolutions don't have any legal teeth ­ they're just political documents. But they are a pretty good urban barometer on GMOs. The most unexpected aspect of them may be the geography. You might have expected these resolutions coming from San Francisco or New England; but instead they're from cities in middle of America.

To get a taste, we've reprinted a copy of Cleveland City Council resolution 1432-2000 below, passed by council on August 7th and signed into law by the Mayor on the 17th.

----

RESOLUTION NO. 1432-2000

An Emergency Resolution

Urging the federal government to require labeling of genetically manipulated foods and further urging a moratorium on the production of such foods until acceptable testing systems are in place.

By: Councilmember Brady

WHEREAS, genetically engineered foods have not yet been proven safe and are not tested by any federal agency; and

WHEREAS, the Food and Drug Administration requires only that companies producing such genetically engineered foods state, on the "honor system", that such foods are safe with no further testing required; and

WHEREAS, a class action lawsuit has been brought against the Food and Drug Administration to prevent it from continuing to rush such untested foods on the market;

WHEREAS, numerous bioengineers and scientists have stated that the technology of genetically engineered foods is clearly different from traditional methods and could lead to a host of undesirable health and environmental problems; and

WHEREAS, such technology further has potential negative effects in genetic cross-pollination of beneficial plants, insects and other fragile ecosystems;

WHEREAS, this resolution constitutes an emergency measure for the immediate preservation of public peace, property, health or safety in that it is essential that the public know and understand how the foods it purchases are being produced and the possible health and environmental risks of such production, now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CLEVELAND:

Section 1. That this Council urges the federal government to require labeling of genetically manipulated foods and further urges a moratorium on the production of such genetically manipulated foods until acceptable testing systems are in place.

Section 2. That this resolution is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and, provided it receives the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to Council, it shall take effect and be in force immediately upon its adoption and approval by the Mayor; otherwise it shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.

------------------------------------------- T

his story sent to you from Cropchoice.com by user request. Visit http://www.cropchoice.com for more information. May be reproduced freely for non-commercial purposes and with appropriate credit.

============================================================

How to Use this Mailing List

You received this e-mail as a result of your registration on the biotech_activists mailing list.

DATE: August 24, 2000

Another locality has taken official action to curb plantings of genetically modified crops. One California community's city counsel discussed such a limit on public property earlier, and now the City of Boulder, Colorado, has taken specific action barring farmers from using GMO crops on the land it rents to them. The Boulder Open Space Department barred genetically modified agricultural crops from city lands Wednesday, endorsing the argument that too little is known about the engineered plants' long-term ecological impacts.

The policy is similar to a proposal being studied by Boulder County for its open space land. Concerned about the possibility of having herbicide-resistant plants introduced to open space, department Director Jim Crain asked the city's Open Space Board of Trustees to add language to leases for agricultural operations on open space that would bar any genetically modified organism from being introduced.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you think?

Should the City of Boulder ban genetically engineered crops on open space?

Why, or why not?

We will publish your responses in a couple of days.

Please include your name and city of residence.

The trustees approved the policy unanimously Wednesday night. According to city figures, nearly half of the city's 33,000 acres of open space is leased for agriculture, though only about 400 acres have grain crops for human consumption grown on them. The Open Space Department asked the trustees to ratify the ban even though it's impact on the ground will be small, said Bryan Pritchett, open space resource conservation coordinator. "One of our charges is to protect environmental resources, and there are enough concerns about genetically modified crops to justify taking this action," Pritchett said.

In 1998, a 2-acre plot of Monsanto's Roundup Ready corn -- genetically modified corn designed to withstand the company's popular herbicide -- was tested on an open space parcel. No other genetically modified crops have been grown on city land. "There's whole host of biological and societal questions about this practice. Ethically, I'm not sure we want it represented on public land we control," Pritchett said. "Our take is that until a whole lot more is known about GMO impacts then we'd rather not have them." Millions of acres of genetically changed crops have been grown in the United States, and critics argue that the plants could pollinate and change other species, threatening ecosystems over time. The European Union has taken steps to eliminate importation of genetically modified produce.

Boulder's ban came at the urging of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. The center also supports state, national and international efforts to force labeling of genetically modified foods and to enact moratoriums on the use of genetically modified organisms until significant testing concludes they are safe. Though the physical impact of the ban may be small, the educational aspect of the ban is invaluable, said Peace and Justice staff member Carolyn Bninski. "We feel it's important to make this statement. It's a way to educate the public on what is really an important issue," Bninski said. "We may be jeopardizing our long-term ability to feed ourselves and to live on the earth."

Crystal Grey, the most senior member of the Boulder Open Space Board of Trustees, said the panel decided that formalizing the ban was necessary to ensure the safety of open space ecosystems. Concerns over the spread of potential herbicide-resistant plants, dubbed "super weeds" by detractors, was enough to warrant the measure, Grey said. "Fortunately, staff is way out ahead of everybody on these things" she said. "It was almost a no-brainer when they brought it to us."