BILL NUMBER:  S127

 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, 2022, 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 :

S.5472-A of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Environmental Conservation

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.