Schiff Offers Amendment to Ban Use of Glyphosate in Los Angeles River
Proposed Amendment Would Prohibit Army Corps of Engineers from Using Herbicide in L.A. River
Washington, D.C. – Last week, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) again offered an amendment to prohibit the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from using the herbicide glyphosate to manage vegetation in the Los Angeles River. There is a significant body of evidence linking glyphosate exposure to health problems. In 2015, the World Health Organization found that it was “probably carcinogenic” for humans, and California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has warned about its carcinogenic properties.
“Many of my constituents who live near the Los Angeles River are rightly concerned by the Army Corps of Engineer’s use of glyphosate to remove vegetation,” said Rep. Schiff. “I believe the Army Corps should find alternative ways of managing vegetation in the river that do not raise health concerns, and I remain committed to finding legislative avenues to compel them to do so.”
Rep. Schiff’s amendment would modify legislation currently being considered in the House to provide appropriations for the Army Corps for fiscal year 2020. Unfortunately, the amendment was not included by the House Rules Committee among the list of amendments that would receive a full vote in the House.
Rep. Schiff previously wrote to Colonel Kirk E. Gibbs of the Army Corps in October 2017 and January 2018, urging the Corps to find alternative approaches to manage vegetation that did not use glyphosate. After the Corps indicated they would not stop using glyphosate in response to community concerns, Schiff also proposed two similar amendments to legislation in the House last Congress to prohibit the use of glyphosate along the L.A. River.
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