Congress Sneaks New Monsanto Protection Act into Sweeping Environmental BillBy Claire Bernish Slipped into already-contentious reform measures of the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act by the House of Representatives, the provision concerns now-banned polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which, in the United States, were manufactured nearly exclusively by Monsanto. Though the Environmental Protection Agency banned the substances in the 1979, from the early 1930s through 1977, the agrichemical goliath producedaround 1.25 billion pounds of which an estimated 10 percent continues to wreak havoc on human health and the environment. Originally used as insulation material against fires and explosions in electrical transformers and other electrical equipment, PCBs became so broadly popular they made their way into paints, inks, adhesives, surface coatings, lubricants, electronics, and more. PCBs evaporate naturally from contaminated natural features, such as the Great Lakes, but may also be released into the air via incineration, or water supply through leaching from municipal waste. When mounting evidence pointed toward environmental PCB contamination as a cause of immune-system illnesses and cancers, the EPA implemented their ban in 1979. Now, the question of liability for present as well as potential future cases has become a key concern in reworking the Toxic Substances Act. Underlying the remaining disputes between the House and Senate versions of the bill is the question of preemption, or defining who will be able to sue for damage caused by the chemical industry; and which body will be tasked with industry regulation. Monsanto, with its pernicious PCBs, just received an out. Monsanto does not consider either version of the bill, with respect to the effect on preemption, to be a gift,Monsanto spokeswoman Charla Lord stated, as the New York Times reported. PCB litigation has surged in the last year as cities and school systems struggle to comply with directives from federal and state regulators to reduce PCB levels in sewer discharge and in caulk once used to construct schools. Separately, a group of individuals who received diagnoses of a form of cancer known as non-Hodgkins lymphoma sued Monsanto last year, claiming the company should pay damages, said the Times. The House also voted to preserve the right to sue if individuals or local governments believe they have been harmed by a chemical, regardless of future federal regulations of the substance, the Times continued. But a critical paragraph added to the House bill in late May made sure regulatory requirements by the E.P.A. would continue to disqualify legal claims, and it specifically referred to the section of the 1976 toxic chemical law governing PCBs, giving Monsanto clearer authority in the future to ask judges to dismiss lawsuits filed against it. Despite Congressional aides assertion the paragraph exemption was inserted at the behest of Republicans in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one Republican refused comment to the Times, and Monsanto insists it did request the addition. Six cities are currently in litigation over the cost to clean up PCB contamination, but attorneys fear the clauses potential to nullify legal efforts to hold Monsanto accountable. Taxpayers and public entities would be left holding the bag to pay hundreds of millions of dollars if not billions of dollars cleaning up Monsantos PCBs, warned John Fiske, an attorney for one of the six cities, who explained that will likely occur should legislation pass with the gift exemption. Though the Toxic Substances Act is clearly outdated and is in desperate need of reform, Monsanto claims it deserves continued protection from responsibility to clean up PCBs. Essentially, the chemical giant has thus far managed to shirk responsibility, and so it feels it has every right to continue to do so. PCBs served an important fire-protection and safety purpose, Lord claimed in a written statement. If these products were improperly disposed of, Monsanto is not responsible. As Anti-Media previously reported, reforms to the Toxic Substances Act as they currently stand do more to put the public in danger, in part by thwarting states attempts to regulate chemicals they find to be potentially dangerous while waiting for snail-paced federal reviews to take place. In fact, attorneys general from California, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, specifically, have voiced concern that controls their states have placed on possibly-toxic chemicals would be deemed illegal were the legislation to pass as-is. There are also indications the American Chemistry Council the leading trade organization and lobbyist for the chemical industry may have been partially involved in the drafting of the legislation. Monsantos gift clause whether or not the company claims responsibility for its insertion is one more reason to be aware of this legislation and all of its possible repercussions. Image Credit This article (Congress Sneaks New Monsanto Protection Act into Sweeping Environmental Bill) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Claire Bernish and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org. Just crooks covering for other crooks, its ALL ROTTEN FOLKS! US is run by corporate lobbyists which results in these sorts of criminal laws. Unfortunately Ralph Nader could never get the support to become President. Trump threatens to root out some of this corruption as he has proven he opposes the TPP. Global Zio-Media now in full frenzy mode to stump the Trump. (I dont like some of the people Trump surrounds himself with but he is a dealer and wheeler first he has to get elected. Chris Christie wants WWIII with Russia, thumbs down.) Bernie Sanders is the true champion against the Trans Pacific Partnership. Trump will sell to the highest bidder. And Hillary Clinton also says shell go to war with Iran and the nuclear option is not off the table. She has said shell annihilate Iran as if no other countries have nuclear weapons and no other countries would involve themselves against the US. Never thought Id use the word stupid to describe Hillary. The American public is already to sick poisoned to have the energy intelligence to see the problem never mind fight back. So sad. Monsanto clearly has all their puppets in place: FDA, CDC, EPA, Rep. Mike Pompeio, Sen. Claire McCaskill, Hillary Clinton [Rose Law Firm], SC justice Clarence Thomas, and many, many more. monsanto should be bombed. YOU can personally hurt MONSATAN by NOT buying their poisons including Roundup. Sadly most farmers tell me there are no longer any viable choices for GMO-free seeds. Monsatan and the equally evil Dow corporation are poisoning the food chain. What a coincidence that in the cafeteria in Monsatan they only offer GMO-free food!. 