By Joe Parmigiani, Alliance Intern from Dartmouth College ’28

It’s tragic that chemical companies often harm farmers and consumers. Fortunately, existing laws provide some protection and allow legal recourse, helping to prevent corporate irresponsibility.

However, those restrictions may soon go away due to a horrible proposed bill which grants chemical companies immunity from lawsuits relating to their products’ hazards. Furthermore, this bill would also prohibit the EPA from restricting harmful PFAS forever chemicals, directly over-riding Minnesota’s landmark ban on pesticides, known as Amara’s Law.

Immunity for Bayer/Monsanto and Other Outlaws?

“Pushed by Bayer/Monsanto and the chemical industry, the bill provides total pesticide immunity language against lawsuits that challenge chemical manufacturers who withhold information on the harm that their products can cause,” according to Beyond Pesticides.

They add, “Chemical companies have successfully lobbied for a weak federal pesticide law and then try to hide behind the law when sued for damages, telling the courts that their products are in compliance with pesticide registration standards and therefore not liable for harm.”

Meanwhile, Beyond Pesticides points out that under current law, “juries have found that Bayer/Monsanto, in the case of glyphosate (Roundup), failed to provide adequate warning through their product labeling, given the independent peer-reviewed science, including what the company knew or should have known, and a clinical assessment of the harm caused to the plaintiff. “

However, under the legislation before the Appropriations Committee in Section 453 of the bill, Beyond Pesticides emphasizes that “only EPA-approved label language consistent with a human health assessment or carcinogenicity classification previously approved by EPA is permitted — freezing EPA’s position on a pesticide in place for possibly decades, and eliminating the ability to hold chemical manufacturers accountable for damages.”

“This language would in the future prohibit cases like those filed by victims of glyphosate (Roundup), who have won large jury verdicts and compensation,” they add.

The EPA Would Be Restricted from Prohibiting PFAS

In addition, Section 507 of the bill removes funding for eliminating hazards associated with PFAS chemicals, according to Beyond Pesticides: “None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the draft risk assessment titled Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS).”

This bill would remove any incentive for chemical companies to develop safer products, therefore slowing the necessary global shift to less toxic land use and consumer practices, which is critical to protecting human health and the environment.

Take action now and join the Alliance in signing this Beyond Pesticides petition to demand your US Representative reject Sections 453 and 507 in the final House Appropriations bill!