Major victory!! To clarify the last paragraph: it is the Enlist Duo herbicide, not the GMO crops, that will not be approved. But without the herbicide, I see no reason to market the seeds engineered to resist it. Tom Mathews -----Original Message----- From: Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]> To: CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wed, Nov 25, 2015 11:47 am Subject: HUGE NEWS: Enlist Duo approval REVOKED THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO RESPONDED TO ACTION ALERTS POSTED ON THIS FORUM AND WHO CONTRIBUTED FINANCIALLY TO THE FANTASTIC ATTORNEYS AT THE CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY. WE ARE MAKING CHANGES !!!! Laurel Hopwood, Chair, Sierra Club Genetic Engineering Action Team Email: [log in to unmask] For Immediate Release, November 25, 2015 Contact: Paul Achitoff, Earthjustice, (808) 599-2436 Andrew Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety, (703) 927-2826 Lori Ann Burd, Center for Biological Diversity, (847) 567-4052 Paul Towers, Pesticide Action Network, (916) 216-1082 EPA Revokes Approval of Dow's 'Enlist Duo' Herbicide Because of High Toxicity Harmful Pesticide Banned on Genetically Engineered Crops (EDITED) In response to litigation by conservation groups, the EPA announced it will revoke approval of the herbicide “Enlist Duo” after determining that its combination of chemicals is likely significantly more harmful than initially believed. Approved by the agency just over a year ago, Enlist Duo is a toxic combination of glyphosate and 2,4-D that Dow AgroSciences created for use on the next generation of genetically engineered crops that are designed to withstand being drenched with this potent herbicide cocktail. The action resolves a year-long legal challenge filed by a coalition of conservation groups seeking to rescind the approval of the dangerous herbicide blend. The EPA had approved use of Enlist Duo in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and North Dakota, and had intended to approve it in additional areas in the near future. The reversal came after the EPA’s failure to consider the impacts of Enlist Duo on threatened and endangered plants and animals protected under the Endangered Species Act was challenged by Earthjustice and Center for Food Safety, on behalf of Center for Food Safety, Beyond Pesticides, the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Working Group, the National Family Farm Coalition and Pesticide Action Network North America. The Endangered Species Act requires that every federal agency consider the impacts of its actions on our nation’s most imperiled plants and animals and seek input from the expert wildlife agencies before plunging ahead, which the EPA had refused to do. “With this action, EPA confirms the toxic nature of this lethal cocktail of chemicals, and has stepped back from the brink,” said Earthjustice Managing Attorney Paul Achitoff. “Glyphosate is a probable carcinogen and is wiping out the monarch butterfly, 2,4-D also causes serious human health effects, and the combination also threatens endangered wildlife. This must not, and will not, be how we grow our food.” “The decision by EPA to withdraw the illegally approved Enlist Duo crops is a huge victory for the environment and the future of our food,” said George Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety's senior attorney. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp Sign up to receive Sierra Club Insider, the flagship e-newsletter. Sent out twice a month, it features the Club's latest news and activities. Subscribe and view recent editions at http://www.sierraclub.org/insider/