>Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 23:46:30 -0700 (PDT) >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Effort Launched to Stop GE Eucalyptus Plantations in US >(Comments Needed!) > >GM WATCH daily list >http://www.gmwatch.org >--- >--- >1.Groups oppose genetically engineered trees >2.Effort Launched to Stop GE Eucalyptus Plantations in US > >ACTION - URGENT: Comments Needed to Help Stop Genetically Engineered >Eucalyptus in Southern US >http://www.stopgetrees.org/staticpages/index.php?page=200705091503309 >62 >DEADLINE: MONDAY, MAY 21 2007, 5pm Eastern >--- >--- >1.Groups oppose genetically engineered trees >United Press International, May 10 2007 >http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/05/10/groups_oppose_genetic >ally_engineered_trees/6276/ > >WASHINGTON, May 10 (UPI) - A group of environmental organizations >wants to prevent a U.S. tree genetics firm -- ArborGen -- from >growing genetically engineered trees in Alabama > >The Stop GE Trees Campaign involves such environmental groups as the >Sierra Club, Dogwood Alliance, WildLaw, Southern Forests Network and >the Global Justice Ecology Project. > >ArborGen says its trees will allow growers to cultivate more wood on >less land, in less time and with fewer inputs, thereby protecting >native forests and ecosystems. > >The company has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow >flowering and seed production in 355 genetically engineered >Eucalyptus hybrid trees in Alabama, near the Gulf of Mexico. > >"This is an area heavily impacted by severe storms, including >tornadoes and hurricanes," said Neil Carman of the Sierra Club. > >"There has been no consideration as to what happens if these seeds >escape into native ecosystems. Seeds from these trees could travel >for hundreds of miles." > >"If the request is approved, it would mark the first time >genetically engineered trees would be allowed to produce flowers and >seeds on the U.S. mainland," said Orin Langelle, coordinator of the >STOP GE Tree Campaign. >--- >--- >2.Effort Launched to Stop GE Eucalyptus Plantations in US Southeast >May 10 2007 >http://www.stopgetrees.org/users.php?mode=profile&uid=2 > >For Immediate Release > >Contact: Alyx Perry, WildLaw-- Southern Forests Network, 828.277.9008 > >Neil Carman, Sierra Club--512.472.1767 > >Anne Petermann, Global Justice Ecology Project--802.578.0477 (mobile) > >As the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) wraps up its annual >convention in Boston, the STOP GE Trees Campaign and member groups >from around the U.S., including Dogwood Alliance, WildLaw, Southern >Forests Network, Sierra Club and Global Justice Ecology Project are >uniting to stop the plans of GE tree giant ArborGen to release >genetically engineered eucalyptus trees in the southeast U.S. > >ArborGen, which was a co-sponsor of the BIO convention, is laying >the groundwork for massive plantations of non-native eucalyptus >trees genetically engineered to be cold tolerant for biofuels and >paper pulp. In addition to the cold tolerance trait, these >eucalyptus have been engineered for other traits which ArborGen >refuses to reveal. News articles and reports indicate these traits >likely include reduced lignin content and the ability to kill >insects. > >The first goal of this effort is to stop the USDA's approval of >ArborGen's GE eucalyptus field trials in Alabama. > >"ArborGen wants approval from the USDA to allow their genetically >engineered eucalyptus trees to flower and produce seeds," stated Dr. >Neil Carman of the Sierra Club and the STOP GE Trees Campaign. >"There has been no consideration as to what happens if these seeds >escape into native ecosystems. This is an area heavily impacted by >severe storms, including tornadoes and hurricanes--seeds from these >trees could travel for hundreds of miles," he added. > >ArborGen petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Animal and >Plant Health Inspection Service or APHIS) in 2006 for permission to >extend their GE Eucalyptus field trials to allow flowering and seed >production in 355 GE Eucalyptus hybrid trees grown on 1.1 acres in >Baldwin County, Alabama close to the Gulf Coast of Mexico. APHIS is >currently accepting comments on their Environmental Assessment (EA) >in which they recommend approval for these field trials. > >"Approval of this field trial represents the first time that a GE >tree would be allowed to produce flowers and seeds on the U.S. >mainland," stated Orin Langelle, Coordinator of the STOP GE Tree >Campaign. "Once this GE tree flowering and seed production is >allowed, it will be easier for APHIS to approve outdoor field trial >releases of other GE trees, such as poplars and pines for flowering >and seed production. This could spell disaster for our native >forests," he concluded. > >The STOP GE Trees Campaign is demanding that APHIS reject this >permit and order ArborGen to destroy the existing field trials. >Other groups want APHIS to conduct a full Environmental Impact >Statement (EIS) that comprehensively addresses all relevant issues >related to the proposed GE Eucalyptus field trials. > >Eucalyptus species are not native to the U.S. but grow well in >certain warm climates such as the southern and southeast U.S. >regions. Escape of GE Eucalyptus trees through seeds and vegetative >plant material are quite likely due to severe wind and rain events >that are common to Baldwin County, Alabama where the field trials >are located. In other countries where eucalyptus have been >introduced, they are well known for escaping and colonizing native >ecosystems. > >"The federal courts have been clear. In their recent decisions on >genetically engineered perennial plants including GE bentgrass and >GE alfalfa, they concluded that the USDA has inadequately assessed >the risks of these species escaping into native ecosystems," >insisted Ray Vaughan of WildLaw, an Alabama organization that has >monitored the development of genetically engineered trees. "The >escape of non-native, potentially invasive, genetically engineered >trees into the forests of the Southeast could be devastating to our >ecosystems and our timber industry." > >Global warming and climate change will allow more extensive southern >and southeast regions of the U.S. to have weather patterns conducive >to the introduction and propagation of escaped GE Eucalyptus hybrids. > >In regions where droughts occur, eucalyptus are known to be at high >risk of catching fire. The southeast U.S. is currently in the midst >of such a drought. Additionally, eucalyptus plantations have been >documented to deplete ground water and cause or exacerbate drought >situations. None of these potential impacts were evaluated in the >EA. > >APHIS is accepting comments on ArborGen's proposal until May 21. >### > >STOP Genetically Engineered Trees Campaign >http://www.stopgetrees.org >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >A project of Global Justice Ecology Project >P.O. Box 412 >Hinesburg, VT 05461 U.S. >+1.802.482.2689 ph/fax >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://www.globaljusticeecology.org > >********************************************************************* >******************************** >This daily news service is a production of the Ecological Farming >Association (www.eco-farm.org) >and is supported by a generous donation by Newmans Own Organics) >********************************************************************* >*********************************
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