The Environmental Working Group, CLEAR's "parent"
organization, resigned from Vice President Al Gore's Tolerance
Reassessment Advisory Committee (TRAC) and Pesticide Program
Dialogue Committee, creating quite a stir. The committees were
designed to monitor implementation of the Food Quality Protection
Act and create dialogue between "stakeholders" in various pesticide
issues.
In a letter addressed to Gore on October 26, 1998, EWG
president Ken Cook cited the Clinton administration's failure to
take "any tangible action...that actually will protect children
from pesticides." Cook added that he was frustrated by recent
legislation that pushes back the promised phase-out of the highly
toxic and ozone depleting fumigant methyl bromide, and by the lack
of effort to restrict or ban the more dangerous organophosphate
insecticides. Cook took the administration to task, stating "We
came away from the committee with the distinct impression that this
government is going to talk about protecting children from
pesticide risks, but is unwilling to act to reduce those risks in
deference to the economic concerns of agribusiness groups,
pesticide companies and food processors."
The American Crop Protection Association, a pesticide trade
organization "pledged to continue to work with the TRAC process and
echoed feelings of most TRAC members that past meetings have been
worthwhile." (_FQPA Spotlight_, "EWG pulls out of TRAC and PPDC,"
October 30, 1998)
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