Tell the EPA: Stop the Mine That Will Kill Alaskan Salmon
The Pebble Mine is a massive, 2-mile-wide gold and copper mine proposed by international mining conglomerates, that would sit at the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay, the largest wild salmon spawning ground in the world, and home to nearly a third of all Alaskan salmon. According to the EPA’s recent assessment of the project, the mine and its estimated 10 billion tons of waste would bury up to 87 miles of streams and 4,200 acres of wetlands, which would have “significant impacts” on the nearly 40 million salmon that spawn and live in Bristol Bay each year. Protecting Alaska’s wild salmon is especially important today, given that the FDA is dangerously close to full-approval of AquaBounty’s “frankenfish,” farmed GMO Atlantic salmon. Bristol Bay is our most important source of sustainable, wild, non-GMO salmon. Salmon fishing is also a half-billion-dollar industry in the region, employing more than 14,000 people — so it’s easy to see why more than 80% of Bristol Bay residents and native peoples are opposed to the Pebble Mine. Sign the petition now and tell the EPA to block the Pebble Mine.
Tell the FDA: Don’t Irradiate My Veggies!
The FDA has proposed a new rule under the 2010 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), that would require food makers, who sell their products in the U.S., to develop a “formal plan†for preventing their products from causing foodborne illnesses. One of the ways for producers of fruits and vegetables to avoid having to comply with the new rule would be to irradiate their products. Food irradiation uses high-energy Gamma rays, electron beams, or X-rays – all of which are millions of times more powerful than standard medical X-rays – to break apart the bacteria and insects that can hide in meat, grains, and other foods. According to the US Government Accounting Office’s Department of the Army’s Food Irradiation Program, irradiation damages food by breaking up molecules and creating free radicals. The free radicals kill some bacteria, but they also bounce around in the food, damage vitamins and enzymes, and combine with chemicals already in the food, such as pesticides, to form new chemicals, called unique radiolytic products (URPs). Scientists haven’t studied the long-term effect of these new chemicals in our diet, so how can we – or the FDA – assume they are safe? And given the choice between irradiation and dealing with burdensome FDA paperwork, it’s safe to assume that many food producers will choose the easier route: irradiation. Take action today!
30 Days to Stop GE Salmon
FDA poised to approve genetically engineered salmon despite unknown risks to human health. Inevitable accidental release of transgenic fish into the wild could devastate native fish populations and ecosystems! The DNA of the top fish has been genetically engineered to produce growth hormones all the time for its entire life. People who eat this fish will be eating this DNA, along with the growth hormones. Despite overwhelming opposition from citizens and public interest groups to genetically engineered (GE) food, including 400,000 public comments opposing GE salmon, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced December 26, 2012 that it is prepared to give transgenic salmon its final stamp of approval. US citizens have the opportunity to comment to the FDA, expressing support or opposition to genetically engineered salmon. The FDA needs to hear your voice before February 25th! Click here, to submit your comment electronically.
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