Thank you to Place Matters Oregon!
National
Bayer Makes Deal With GMO Giant Monsanto
PR Watch, 9/29/16
The Center for Media & Democracy has written another great piece about ALEC’s role in state preemption and the formation of industrial agriculture front groups, this time focusing on GMO and chemical safety laws.
Oklahoma
Troubling by definition: Legal expert says “Right to Farm” puts burden on the state
Stillwater News Press, 10/8/16
A legal analysis of Oklahoma ballot measure SQ777, citing concerns about the legal hurdles and costs for Oklahoma stemming from the lack of an adequate definition of the “compelling state interest” standard for regulating factory farms – a burden that would fall on both local and state agencies.
Groups Opposing State Question On Agriculture Form Unusual Alliance Over Water
NPR, 10/6/16
Local fishing group Trout Unlimited, along with PETA and several of the state’s Native American nations cite concern for water, and the impact on local and state authority to regulate operations that threaten water safety, as central to their opposition to SQ777.
SQ 777 harms local governments’ ability to protect local water, air quality
The Norman Transcript, 10/2/16
SQ 777 isn’t for or about family farmers. It’s a power grab by multi-national corporations that industrial farm, generate waste and market agricultural chemicals to be exempted from the democratic process. If practices and chemicals used or invented by them in the future negatively impact a local community’s water and air quality, they want local hands tied…
If SQ 777 passes, laws and regulations involving the broad category of “agriculture” are voided back to Dec. 31, 2014. Moreover, only the state, and not municipalities, will be able to pass new safeguards if new local issues arise involving corporate agriculture because SQ 777 requires “compelling state interest,” which means the state also will likely fail.
Pennsylvania
Inquirer Editorial: Bill allowing the NRA to sue towns with tough gun laws needs to die
Philly.com, 10/13/16
HB 2258, Pennsylvania’s most recent firearms “super-preemption” bill, would allow individuals or the NRA to sue any local government that passes firearms laws more restrictive than state law. This editorial calls on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to defeat the bill, and for Governor Tom Wolf (D) to veto the bill should it reach his desk.
Texas
Plastic bag recycling plunges in S.A.
My San Antonio, 10/10/16
An editorial about a failed recycling program, citing the benefits of local control over plastic bag policies and the danger posed by state preemption.