GMO Crunch Time

Last week, the Senate passed the Roberts-Stabenow compromise that would create a national GMO labeling standard. Now, Farm Bureau’s Andrew Walmsley says the House needs to act this week."The Senate did their job, they send it to the house and the house is in just this week before they recess. The opportunity is now for Congress to address this. We are hoping to have it out of the house before the end of the week and expect the president to sign it.” Walmsley says the bill is not perfect because it mandates GMO labeling, but adds the legislation is important because it avoids a costly patchwork of state GMO labeling laws.

 

In other news, which is good news, Washington State wildlife managers are proposing to remove bald eagles and peregrine falcons from Washington’s endangered species list. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife says bald eagles have made “an extraordinary recovery” in Washington state and nationally, following decades of decline due to widespread use of the pesticide DDT and habitat loss. Bald eagles were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007. The agency says peregrine falcons have also recovered and can now be found nesting throughout much of the state. Both birds would still be protected under other federal laws.