BILL NUMBER: S223

SPONSOR: HOYLMAN
 
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 with-
in 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, associ-
              

ation, 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 estab-
lishment, makeup, and duties of a task force within the Department of
Environmental Conservation to study glyphosate's effects and make recom-
mendations.

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 by 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 popu-
lation, 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.0127 of 2017-2018 (Hoylman): Died in Environmental Conservation
S.5472-A of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Environmental Conservation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.