'Monsanto Protection Act' To Expire, Won't Be Part Of Continuing Resolution

[cal04]

The so-called Monsanto Protection Act is set to expire, and will not be included in a bill designed to avert a government shutdown, according to a statement Tuesday from the press office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

House Republicans earlier this month released legislation that would include an extension of the Monsanto measure in their continuing resolution. The measure shields sellers of genetically modified seeds from lawsuits, even if the resulting crops cause harm.

(snip)
Merkley worked with legislative leaders to ensure the Farmer Assurance Provision rider would expire before it could be extended. In a statement Tuesday evening, the senator applauded those who helped him to avert the extension:

This is a victory for all those who think special interests shouldn’t get special deals. This secret rider, which was slipped into a must-pass spending bill earlier this year, instructed the Secretary of Agriculture to allow GMO crops to be cultivated and sold even when our courts had found they posed a potential risk to farmers of nearby crops, the environment, and human health. I applaud the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have worked hard to end this diabolical provision.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/24/monsanto-protection-act-expire_n_3985673.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

https://twitter.com/SenJeffMerkley
Monsanto Protection Act would die under draft CR by Senate. A victory for all those who think special interests shouldn’t get special deals

[pscot]

1. Good man, Merkley

[2naSalit]

2. Yay!!!

Perhaps the turn around from insane governance to a more representative governance is taking place already... but I'm sur eit won't be picking up any reasonable pace until after 2014. But this is a good start.

Thanks for posting.

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, cal.

[Cha]

4. YAY! thanks cal!

[Recursion]

5. Cool

Good news, again. I'm worried I might get used to this...

[lonestarnot]

6. Hot diggity. Now can we do something about the Chinese chickens?

[lunasun]

7. Oh I needed good news today (due to other factors in my life) Thanks!!!

and thank you Sen. Jeff Merkley

[roody]

8. Good news

[avaistheone1]

9. Thumbs up!

k&r

[ReRe]

10. K&R

Great news! But, in this Congress who knows if it will stick. If it does, then we need to get labels on all GMO foods. Either that or segregate all non-GMO foods/products in the grocery stores so they are all in their own isles. BTW, from a 2012 article in Mother Earth News, I learned that "..70% or more of the foods in our supermarkets directly or indirectly contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients." Thanks, cal04, for this news.

[Left Coast2020]

11. Merkley is kicking some Monsanto ass.

It is certainly nice to have a real Senator in Oregon, instead of someone named Hatfield, or Bob Packwood aka Poke-Weed, or Pecker Wood. Hard to believe because it seemed Hatfield and Poke Weed were permanent dinosaur's to Oregon.

And perhaps this could be a big boost for advocates of GMO labeling. Hope so.

[BelgianMadCow]

12. K & R

Hooray for senate dems!

[LWolf]

13. Ironically,

at the same time Merkley is talking about this win in Washington, there is a budget Bill in Oregon sneaking in something similar at the state level right now.

The budget bill is bad enough, attempting to cut some public pensions. Adding Monsanto protection onto a special session budget bill is outrageous.

http://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-special-session-gmo-bill-raises-eyebrows-in-oregon/

[bvar22]

14. I applaud Sen. Jeff Merkley,

..and pray that his good work representing the 99% doesn't get undone before this is signed and delivered.


You will know them by their works.

[GoneFishin]

15. Thank goodness. Traces of sanity still exist.