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Another legal blow to Bayer in Roundup litigation
The U.S. Solicitor General on Tuesday dealt a blow to Monsanto owner Bayer AG, advising the U.S. Supreme Court that it should deny the company’s request for a review of a key Roundup cancer trial loss.
Bayer has seen the Supreme Court as its last and best hope for putting a stop to the flood of lawsuits filed by tens of thousands of people claiming exposure to Roundup weed killing products caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
The brief from Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar states that “There is no sound reason for the Court to grant review…”
Guest column: Syngenta’s paraquat product kills weeds, but also people
By Jon Heylings
From 1986 until 2008, I worked as the lead scientist on a project aimed at creating a “safer” paraquat-based weed killing product for what was then known as the ICI Central Toxicology Laboratory, which became part of Syngenta AG in 2000.
Environmentalists cite “political indifference;” call for Senate to confirm EPA enforcement chief
A coalition of 55 environmental groups is urging the U.S. Senate to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the enforcement office within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), citing a need for stronger agency actions to protect vulnerable communities from illegal pollution.
Biden nominated former Department of Justice (DOJ) environmental crimes division head David Uhlmann to take the top EPA enforcement spot in June 2021 and then renominated him in January, but Republican opposition has stalled the move.
Guest column: Cryptocurrency technology transition needed to avoid accelerating environmental crisis
By Tony Guo and Julian Picard of Project Earth
One of the hottest debates in environmental circles today is the debate over cryptocurrencies, and whether or not these digitized/virtual currencies are the high-tech wave of the future, or an accelerator of environmental crisis. The answer so far, it appears, is both.
Signs of a silent poisoning- Pesticide contamination in Nebraska threatens a community
MEAD, Nebraska- For a visitor to this rural part of eastern Nebraska, the crisp air, blue skies and stretch of seemingly endless farm fields appear as unspoiled landscape. For the people who live here, however, there is no denying that they are immersed in an environmental catastrophe researchers fear may impact the area for generations to come.
The signs of a silent poisoning are everywhere: A farmhouse has been abandoned by its owners after their young children experienced health problems; a pond once filled with fish and frogs is now barren of all life; university researchers are collecting blood and urine from residents to analyze them for contaminants; and a local family now drinks water only from plastic bottles because tests show chemical contamination of their drinking well.
It has been just over a year since state regulators stepped in to close down the AltEn LLC ethanol plant on the outskirts of Mead, Nebraska that was found to be the source of massive quantities of toxic, pesticide-laced waste. The waste spilled and spread throughout the area, including into waterways that provide drinking water for people and wildlife.
Guest column: On the road to “net zero,” steel industry deserving of attention
By Tony Guo and Julian Picard of Project Earth
When discussing industry sectors critical to our clean energy transition, the steel industry is not typically top of mind, unless the conversation is about how we can use steel to build wind turbines, nuclear power plants, or solar roofs.
Monsanto seeks “emergency” delay for St. Louis trial
Monsanto on Thursday asked a St. Louis judge to delay the start of a trial over claims brought by three men alleging exposure to Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicides, such as the popular Roundup brand, caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Opening statements in the case of Neal v. Monsanto are expected next week. But on Thursday morning Monsanto requested a continuance “due to exigent circumstances.” The company did not detail its reasons in the filing.
Unsettled – Another Monsanto Roundup case heads to trial
Three people suffering from cancer are set to face off against Monsanto in the latest courtroom battle over allegations that exposure to the company’s Roundup weed killer causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The trial will be the first to take place in the company’s former hometown, with jury selection set to start on March 24. (A previous trial in St. Louis was cancelled just hours before it was scheduled to begin due to a settlement agreement.)
Another PCB lawsuit targets Monsanto
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer set a press conference on Monday to announce a new lawsuit seeking “environmental justice” from Monsanto, the former chemical and seed company now owned by Bayer AG.
According to Feuer’s office, Monsanto and two affiliated companies polluted area waterways with toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals shown to cause cancer along with an array of other health problems for people. PCBs have been shown to remain in soil and the sediment under rivers, lakes and other water bodies for years, and are often found in fish and shellfish.