State senators in Idaho have introduced new legislation that aims to limit chemical exposure and injury lawsuits filed against pesticide manufacturers.
The proposed Senate Bill 1245 would effectively block most failure to warn lawsuits involving pesticides, indicating that any product approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and carrying the agency’s required warning label, would have adequate warnings under Idaho state law, regardless of whether there is new evidence that the manufacturers withheld information about known health risks.
The bill has been supported by officials from Bayer, which owns the pesticide Roundup through its Monsanto subsidiary, and testified in support of the bill during an Idaho Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee hearing on [February 13].
If the Idaho bill is passed into law, it would effectively block most pesticide lawsuits in that state, according to observers. Some Idaho farming lobbying groups, fearing pesticide restrictions, have also testified in favor of the bill.
However, Idaho may be a legal battleground for more than the popularity of farming and pesticide use in that state. Soda Springs, Idaho is a major source of elemental phosphorus, which is a key Roundup ingredient, and is the only place in the western hemisphere where it is mined.
