Institutes a moratorium on the distribution, sale or use of glyphosate until a task force completes a study regarding the safety, alternatives and use of such compound

Title of bill

An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to instituting a moratorium on the distribution, sale or use of glyphosate until a task force completes a study regarding the safety, alternatives and use of such compound

Purpose or general idea of bill

The purpose of this bill is to place a moratorium on the distribution, sale, or use of glyphosate or products containing glyphosate in the state of New York until July 1st, 2021, and establish a task force within the Department of Environmental Conservation to research and identify the safety risks associated with glyphosate and determine whether it is safe for use.

Summary of specific provisions

Section 1 of the bill adds a new section 37-0115 to the environmental conservation law to provide that no person, firm, partnership, association, LLC, or corporation shall distribute, sell, offer for sale, or use glyphosate or products containing glyphosate within New York state until July first, two thousand twenty. It also provides for the establishment, makeup, and duties of a task force within the Department of Environmental Conservation to study glyphosate's effects and make recommendations.

Section 2 of the bill provides the effective date.

Justification

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world and is found in over 750 different products. It is primarily used in agriculture for crops such as corn and soybeans but is also sprayed in forests, on roads and in gardens to prevent the growth of weeds. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in the popular Monsanto weed-killer "Roundup," which is currently sold in stores throughout New York State.

In March 2015, it was deemed "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC's analysis drew on studies conducted in the United States, Canada and Sweden since 2001 and was based on epidemiological, animal and in vitro studies.

Glyphosate has been detected in the blood and urine of agricultural workers, indicating it can be absorbed through the body, and has also been shown to damage DNA and chromosomes in human cells, which can lead to cancer. Furthermore, a number of studies have found glyphosate induces a positive trend of tumors in mice and rats.

Glyphosate is also said to be responsible for the precipitous demise of the population of Danaus plexippus, or the Monarch butterfly. Earlier this year, the Natural Resources Defense Council filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency in U.S. District Court in New York claiming the agency has failed to heed warnings about the dangers to monarchs posed by glyphosate.

The lawsuit states that a key reason for the decline of monarchs is the application of glyphosate to farm fields, resulting in the destruction of the milkweed habitat that migrating monarchs rely on. The monarch population was tallied at 1 billion in 1997 and this winter was down to 56.5 million butterflies, the second-lowest number ever measured.

Given the mounting evidence to link exposure to glyphosate with cancer, and the detrimental effect of glyphosate on the monarch butterfly population, it is prudent to halt its use until we are able to further study its potential for harm. The goal of this legislation is to direct a panel of experts to study glyphosate's effects and protect the public health of New Yorkers in the meantime.

Prior legislative history

None.

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.