While we have a Clean Air Act and a Clean Water Act, there is no Clean Earth Act at the federal or state level.

Glyphosate is the new DDT (an insecticide banned in the last century and subject of Rachel Carson’s acclaimed book, A Silent Spring).  Glyphosate, the world’s bestselling herbicide, has now been banned or substantially restricted in 22 countries around the world. Glyphosate (a chemical in Roundup) contaminates many of the processed foods on our grocery store shelves causing human blood levels multiple times the limit allowed in European drinking water.  GMO / Genetically Modified Organism seeds manufactured by Monsanto/Bayer to be immune to glyphosate are now used to grow much of the food Americans eat.  One liter of glyphosate diluted with water kills every living thing (not genetically modified) when sprayed over an acre of land.  While Monsanto insists that it is “safe enough to drink”, I continue to lead the effort in Massachusetts to curtail and eventually eliminate the use of this poisonous substance from our foods and water.

After having a Glyphosate Commission created and funded, I continue to pursue legislation and regulatory reforms to reduce our exposure to and ingestion of this chemical which has caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and other serious illnesses resulting in over $11 billion in judgments against Monsanto / Bayer (the company who earlier gave us DDT and PCBs).

I filed other legislation to replace the herbicide known as Agent Orange and other hazardous pesticides/herbicides from the list of chemicals permitted for use on Massachusetts school properties and playing areas with pesticides/herbicides found not to be harmful by the EPA.  This legislation was initially voted favorably by both the House and Senate on the last day of the previous session.