With all the hullabaloo over health care reform and the economy, you might not have heard about H.R. 2868, the Chemical and Drinking Water Security Act of 2009.  Passed in the House on November 6th, the bill now goes to the Senate. Opponents of the act, let by Republican Frank Lucas, ranking member of the  House Agriculture Committee, are once again using the same old tired excuse to avoid being responsible members of the sustainable agriculture community. Congressman Lucas issued this statement on the passage of H.R.

“This vote was another hit to agriculture and to the American consumer. Under this legislation, it’s going to be significantly more expensive for agricultural input producers to provide farmers with the necessary tools for agriculture production. Without inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, it will be difficult for farmers to produce the same amount of product at the same high quality we have come to expect. Ultimately, this means our food costs will dramatically increase, or we will become reliant on foreign food imports.”

Study after study has shown that farmers can raise as much, if not more, crops without the use of harmful chemicals. The Congressman, while believing he is protecting farmers, is only protecting agri-business, specifically the chemical herbicide and pesticide companies, like Monsanto, that own the exclusive rights to these chemical “inputs.” (Input sounds much better than deadly chemical fertilizer, doesn’t it?)

Now that the bill is in the Senate, it will be reworked in committee. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Let your Senator know how you feel about chemical fertilizers being pumped into the water supply in the name of cheap, abundant food. Learn more about H.R. 2868 here.