Congress should take note, clean water is America's most precious natural resource
As the worst drought since the Dust Bowl strikes farmers from coast to coast, Americans are reminded that clean, unadulterated water is America’s most precious natural resource. Congress should take note.
Unfortunately, a few members of Congress are using the Farm Bill as political cover to gut existing laws that protect our lakes, rivers and streams from being tainted with pesticides.
The Farm Bill is the primary food and agricultural policy tool of the federal government. It has evolved into a broadly sweeping bill that provides for rural economic development, drought relief, family nutrition and other issues vital to the well-being of all Americans. It is updated every five years or so.
The Farm Bill is also a place where lawmakers can tuck in provisions they prefer not to share with their constituents. In the 2012 Farm Bill, unfortunately, the House of Representatives have included two provisions that would exempt pesticides from the provisions of the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
As a farmer and former lawmaker, I think this is bad policy in the making. Pesticides are a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. While my family and I elect to farm without pesticides, I understand pesticides are useful tools and there is a place for their careful and considered application.
However, strong emerging science indicates that pesticides cause big problems when they pollute our surface water. These toxins can kill the necessary organisms that are the foundation of the aquatic food chain, and cause deformities, hormonal abnormalities and other problems in young fish. Since we all depend on clean water, these aquatic species are the proverbial “canary in the coal mine,” that indicates the relative health of our own environment.
Scientists have also found that when pesticides mix in water, they can become “chemical cocktails” that are far more toxic than the original pesticides themselves. That’s what make the following two provisions so dangerous.
Section 10017 of the Farm Bill would remove all Clean Water Act protections against pesticides that are sprayed directly into waterways. This would result in the direct application of pesticides into streams and rivers without any oversight, as the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) — the law under which pesticides are registered — does not require tracking of such pesticide applications.
Section 10016 of the House Farm Bill puts the interests of pesticide manufacturers ahead of the health of our wildlife and communities by creating loopholes in the Endangered Species Act. This section includes non-science based roadblocks and delays for measures recommended by federal wildlife scientists to protect endangered species from pesticides. This spells trouble for species already on the brink of extinction because of pesticides and other threats. For example, salmon are one species that is particularly sensitive to pesticides in their spawning and rearing streams.
The purpose of regulations governing the application of pesticides is not to stop the use of pesticides. Rather, these safeguards are intended to ensure these potent chemicals are used responsibly and do not do long-term harm to our pure, clean water.
When Congress convenes after summer recess, it should take these provisions out. I am hopeful that my Montana Senators, Jon Tester and Max Baucus, will help to correct this attack on clean water. If anyone can fix this travesty, this pair of problem solvers can offer a workable solution.
Let’s pass the Farm Bill, but let’s not shortchange the future of America’s clean water in the process. Even a farmer like me clearly knows: water is the legacy we leave our children. The quality of this water is dependent on the decisions we make today.
Mike Jopek,
Retired Montana Legislator, Whitefish.