PHARMACEUTICAL CORN MAY SOON GROW IN TEXAS
by Sarah Morgan

The Texas-based biotech company ProdiGene has recently requested federal approval to begin planting pharmaceutical corn in Texas, but environmentalists and grocery manufacturers are questioning the safety of the company’s proposal.

By now, many are familiar with genetically modified foods, foods that are altered for taste and appearance, or to increase food nutrients and crop yields, and improve resistance to pests and herbicides. These crops have been on grocer’s shelves and in our pantries for several years, despite lingering concerns over long-term risks. But one lesser-known goal has been to alter crops to produce proteins used solely for medical purposes. These pharmaceutical crops, or pharm crops, are not intended for human or animal consumption.

Pharm crops are ProdiGene’s specialty, manufacturing vaccines, enzymes, antibodies, and therapeutics from genetically modified corn and other plants. But ProdiGene is also known in the biotech world for its mismanagement of field trials of genetically modified crops in Iowa and Nebraska two years ago. The company was fined $3 million in penalties and cleanup costs for failing to prevent its pharmaceutical corn plants from jumping the fence and interbreeding with corn intended for food, according to an article published in the Des Moines Register last week.

Now ProdiGene wants to plant pharm corn in Frio County, Texas, southwest of San Antonio. The corn will be bioengineered to produce two medical products, trypsin and aprotonin, both having multiple medical uses, including roles in the production of insulin and certain vaccines. Currently, both products are commonly derived from cattle tissue, according to the Des Moines Register.

The environmental concerns regarding pharm crops in particular center mostly around the risks of cross-pollination. Current US Department of Agriculture regulations allow pharm crops to be grown as little as one mile away from corn grown for human consumption, despite the fact that studies have shown that corn pollen can drift for several miles, according to the lobbying group Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods.

According to the group, there have yet to be any peer reviewed scientific studies published on the safety of pharm crops. The group also points out that the impact of pharm crops on birds and animals that consume them is currently unknown.

The concerns for growing such a crop in open fields in Texas is particularly risky, some argue, because of Texas’ tornado history, citing that such weather conditions would surely cause the biotech crops to cross-pollinate with other crops.

Even food distributors are questioning the safety of ProdiGene’s plan. The Grocery Manufacturers of America, which represents many big-name brands including Kraft and General Mills, recently sent a letter to the USDA saying that crops grown for industrial and pharmaceutical purposes should not be grown in open fields because regulations affecting crops grown for industrial and pharmaceutical purposes are not yet adequate.

The public comment period on ProdiGene’s proposal to grow pharmaceutical corn in Texas ended August 10. Comments are still being reviewed and the USDA’s decision is forthcoming.

NEW REPORT CONDEMNS BUSH RECORD ON WETLANDS PROTECTIONS
by Sarah Morgan

The Bush administration is responsible for the loss of protection for thousands of acres of wetlands, despite his promise to protect them, according to a report released this week by four environmental groups.

The report, Reckless Abandon: How the Bush Administration is Exposing America’s Waters to Harm, was put together by the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, and Earthjustice, and is based on information obtained through federal Freedom of Information Act requests.

In 2001, the administration’s interpretation of a Supreme Court decision led to reduced protections for some non-navigable waterways that do not cross state boundaries. Such wetlands are no longer federally protected unless they can be shown to have a direct role in interstate commerce.

This policy puts millions of acres of rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands at risk, according to the report, which echoes the complaints of many environmentalists over the past few years.

The report identifies several cases where the loss of protections led to development in these areas, some of which have been deemed sensitive or of national significance. Included in the report is a 120-acre stretch of wetlands along Galveston Bay. Based on the Supreme Court’s rulings, the US Army Corp of Engineers ruled that only 19.7 acres of this tract qualified for federal protections, a decision which allows the Port of Houston Authority to construct a highly controversial container terminal at Bayport.

Administration officials told the Washington Post that the report’s findings are insignificant when compared with the 3 million acres of wetlands that the Bush administration promised to create, improve, and protect. Officials also told the Washington Post that the report’s findings were questionable.

For more information and to read the full report, visit:
http://www.earthjustice.org

BECOME A TEAM WET SCHOOL

The Council for Environmental Education seeks to partner education and natural resource professionals, providing environmental education programs and services. Its latest effort is to invite middle schools in the greater Houston area to join Team WET Schools. Team WET Schools bring urban water issues to the forefront of environmental education in school buildings. A network of community and corporate partners grows up around each Team WET School, supporting teachers in their efforts to advance water education while encouraging student participation in active water stewardship and community improvement. The program provides materials, activities, workshops, guest speakers, and more at no cost to participating schools. For more information, please contact Monica at (713) 520-1936, or mlmageecee@aol.com.

EAST TEXAS HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY CONFERENCE AND EXPO

The East Texas Herpetological Society’s big event is fast approaching. The annual conference, breeder expo, and educational exhibit will be held from Friday, September 10, to Sunday, September 12, and will feature a keynote presentation, banquet, auction, and breeder expo and sale. This year’s event will be at the Crowne Plaza, where conference attendees can receive a discounted rate if they reserve rooms by September 1. ETHS is currently accepting registration for tables for this year’s Breeder’s Expo and Sale, which are on a first-come, first-serve basis. For registration and vendor information, contact Buzz Jehle at (713) 464-6023, or dxer@oxr.com, or visit http://www.eths.org.

GHPA CONTINUES FIGHT TO SAVE BUILDING

The Greater Houston Preservation Association has been battling to save a Houston landmark. The former Southwestern Savings Association Building has been slated for demolition with plans to build a new Southwest Bank of Texas facility at the same location. GHPA has tried to promote preserving the landmark, advocating that the existing building be redeveloped. The building was designed by C.C. "Pat" Fleming, who is best known for his landscape architecture and who was responsible for the Diana Garden at Bayou Bend. The Southwestern Savings Association Building was completed in 1960 and, although the building has been altered, it is included in the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects' Houston Architectural Guide as a significant local example of modern architecture. For more information about the building and efforts to save it, visit http://www.5301.org.

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CONSUMER GUIDE DETAILS ILLS AND ALTERNATIVES FOR COMMON PRODUCTS

A free online consumer guide published in March by the Worldwatch Institute describes the environmental, social, and health harms associated with a wide range of products, including appliances, baby products, DVDs, clothing, cell phones, and food. The guide takes a behind the scenes look at how products are made, and offers simple advice and alternatives that enable people to reduce some of the ills associated with the things they buy.
For each product, the guide also describes successful efforts by governments, businesses, and nonprofit groups around the world to reduce negative impacts associated with common products.
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff

NEW REPORT IN PARKS FOR PEOPLE SERIES

The Trust For Public Land’s Parks for People initiative works in cities across America to ensure that everyone--in particular every child--enjoys access to a park, playground, or open space. A new Parks for People report by Peter Harnik, director of TPL's Center for City Park Excellence, highlights the need for parks in Newark, New Jersey. The report's release follows by several months the publication of TPL's Parks for People white paper, which makes the case for new city parks nationwide. Upcoming Parks for People publications will focus on other US cities.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=13843&folder_id=175

A HANDBOOK FOR ACTIVISTS

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Wilderness Forever has created a handy-dandy guide to taking action. Learn how to draft your own action letters, organize enjoyable activism events, and get in touch with local media.
To obtain your own tree-free version of the guide:
http://www.wildernessforever.org/action/index.html
Learn more about the Wilderness Act:
http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/act.cfm

EPA SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

The EPA Summer Opportunities for Students website is now up and running. The site provides a web portal through which students may enter to learn about EPA programs, offices, and summer employment opportunities. They also will be able to submit a job application directly to the EPA location where there is a vacancy.
http://www.epa.gov/ohros/student