Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–April 2, 2013. On March 26, President Obama signed into law House Resolution 933, a stop-gap Continuing Resolution that allowed the U.S. to avoid a government shutdown for six months. The resolution also contained the “biotech rider,” or amendment that took away the authority of federal courts to halt the sale or production of GE crops. The rider, section 735 of the resolution, also dubbed the “Monsanto Protection Act” for the genetic engineering corporate giant, forces the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to not comply with federal court rulings if the court finds that the GE product should be removed from sale or production, even if the crop is found harmful. The rider, which was never voted on, was written by Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), who worked with Monsanto to craft its language. This new rule will be viewed as a challenge for environmental organizations as courts have played an important role in slowing the growth of GE industry due to noncompliance with environmental law.
