cross-posted at annoyedomnivore.wordpress.com
Loblolly sounds as though it’s a name of a quaint little village in Ireland, but it’s actually an important tree species in the U.S., and is being considered as a major player in the biofuel industry. Currently, 80% of pine plantations in the country are devoted to the loblolly pine. The USDA and the Obama administration definitely support the production of the tree as a biofuel source and have given the green light to the biotech firm, ArborGen, to genetically modify the tree to increase its usefulness. This particular decision by the U.S. government has created an international uproar, and it would seem that there’s good reason for these protests, the major ones being that no government or public oversight was allowed, nor was any assessment of environmental risk conducted. Risks do abound however; some known and others potential.
The Global Justice Ecology Project points out that the loblolly pine naturally produces terpene, which is already being used to produce biofuels. ArborGen is working on genetically altering the pine to produce up to 20% more terpene. One of the known risks of allowing this genetic alteration is that terpene is highly flammable, and with global warming and droughts on the rise, along with a probable increase in the number of loblolly plantations, conditions could be set for major firestorms. I would consider that possibility to be enough to derail the project. Dr. Rachel Smolker of Biofuelwatch adds that “if these GE loblolly pines are released on a large scale in the U.S., there will be no way to stop them from cross-contaminating native loblolly pines. This is deliberate, irreversible and completely irresponsible contamination of the environment with unknown and possibly devastating consequences. Forest ecosystems are barely understood, and the introduction of trees with genes for modified wood characteristics could have all manner of negative impacts on soils, fungi, wildlife, songbirds, and public health.”
Groups from around the world (Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, EcoNexus, Friends of the Earth, Global Justice Ecology Project, and the Dogwood Alliance) join Biofuelwatch in their condemnation of this unprecedented and unregulated decision by the USDA. Winnie Overbeek, International Coordinator of the Uruguay based World Rainforest Movement has stated that “we are greatly concerned that these unregulated GE pines could be shipped to Brazil or other countries without public, or maybe even government knowledge, further promoting the expansion of industrial tree plantations in the Global South. This contributes to deforestation and affects indigenous and peasant communities worldwide who depend on forests for survival.” As with GMO crops, the altered loblolly pine tree will be developed to withstand pests, which would of course involve the use of pesticides, already a known and dangerous problem. Introducing pesticides into a poorly understood ecosystem would enhance the destructive capabilities of these toxins, leading to more harm. Bees and Monarch butterflies are already acknowledged victims of Monsanto’s glysophate, so it stands to reason that more extinctions would occur with unknown repercussions. As with GMO crops, where cross contamination with non-GMO crops and native varieties is common there is no reason to believe that the opposite will occur, especially as the loblolly pine is capable of projecting its seeds and pollen over a distance of many miles.
The decision made by the USDA to allow ArborGen to genetically modify the loblolly pine might have gone unnoticed as the information was never intended to reach the public. A scientist from the Center for Food Safety, Doug Gurian-Sherman, however, recently exposed the previously unpublished letter from the USDA to ArborGen last August. Gurian-Sherman says the USDA “is deliberately thumbing its nose at the public,” and points out that “this is probably the biggest environmental regulatory change in the US since the 1990s,” when GMO crops were first approved. Perhaps this can be explained by the fact that when ArborGen requested permission from the USDA in 2013 to commercialize a GE eucalyptus tree, they received comments of 10,000 to one opposing the request. Perhaps another reason to keep the proposal to genetically alter the loblolly pine secret comes from the fact that the USDA, as is well known, has become infiltrated with former Monsanto executives under Obama’s watch. Most of ArborGen’s executives come from Monsanto, including Andrew Baum, ArborGen’s President and CEO. Tom Vilsack, USDA Secretary, has long been an advocate for Monsanto and is a cheer leader for the biotech industry.
“It’s clear from researching ArborGen’s public relations messaging that they see themselves as the new Monsanto,” says Will Benningham of Global Justice Ecology Project. Benningham goes on to say “that ArborGen plans to follow the ruthless Monsanto model and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process.” If Monsanto can, and does, sue any hapless farmer who “possesses” their seeds after those seeds contaminate a farmers’ land, it’s not a long stretch to see ArborGen using the same tactic. This time, however, it would be our National Forests and Parks under attack from a private company. This is incredibly dangerous territory that our government is leading us into, and I don’t know what can stop it other than the work of such organizations mentioned in this paper.
Recipe of the Week
Recipes for steamed clams are everywhere, but most of them involve so many ingredients that the fresh taste of the clams themselves is lost. This recipe is the most simple and, with good French bread, delicious.
1 or more pounds of Manila clams. Inspect each one for cracks in the shell, place them in a bowl, and run a slow and steady stream of cold water over them for about 15 minutes
4 or more garlic cloves, minced
2 TBLS extra virgin olive oil.
Pour the oil into a sturdy pot. Add the garlic, and when it starts to sizzle, add the clams, turn down the heat and cover with a tight lid. You may stir them once or twice to help the shells to open. When all the shells are open (discard the ones that are not), you’re ready to eat. This takes mere minutes, so get the bread and lovely green salad ready.