This is from the May 2002 issue of the Sierra Club's Environmental Quality Activist Urge Congress to Hold Hearings on Genetic Engineering Genetic engineering is a radical new technology that is being applied to crop production at a rate that exceeds our ability to understand the environmental and public health risks. Genes from bacteria, viruses, insects, nuts, fish, and animals are being spliced into common food, such as corn and soy. While the U.S. is promoting genetically engineered foods, many nations throughout the world have enacted laws and policies that restrict the use of genetically engineered products in their foods. We are now beginning to see the many problems associated with the production of genetically engineered (GE) corn. GE corn is contaminating the world's most important maize gene bank in Mexico. Farmers planting non-GE crops are getting sued for growing GE crops that have trespassed, or "drifted" onto their farmland. Weeds are becoming "superweeds" from the massive planting of herbicide resistant genetically engineered crops. These news stories are becoming more plentiful as the spread of pollen from genetically engineered crops spreads and irreversibly contaminates the environment. Sierra Club is urging Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, to hold hearings on the contamination caused by the planting of genetically engineered crops. Senator Harkin is more likely to hold hearings on this important issue if he hears from concerned citizens. Please call Senator Harkin and ask him to schedule hearings regarding the contamination of organically grown crops and all crops intended for sale as GEO-free. Write him at: U.S. Senate, 731 Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington DC 20510. Call: (202) 224-3254 Fax: (202) 224-9369 or e-mail: [log in to unmask] To automatically send a fax to Senator Harkin, please visit http://www.sierraclub.org/action/?alid=163 For more information on Sierra Club's Genetic Engineering Campaign, please visit http://www.sierraclub.org/biotech/. Erin Jordahl Director, Iowa Chapter Sierra Club 3839 Merle Hay Road, Suite 280 Des Moines, IA 50310 515-277-8868 [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]