Prohibits the use, production, sale, importation, or exportation of atrazine (pesticide) or an atrazine product.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4318 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4318
To prohibit the use, production, sale, importation, or exportation of
any pesticide containing atrazine.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 29, 2012
Mr. Ellison (for himself, Mr. Kucinich, and Mr. Moran) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and
in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means,
and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit the use, production, sale, importation, or exportation of
any pesticide containing atrazine.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States annually uses 60,000,000 to
80,000,000 pounds of atrazine, a weed-killing pesticide.
(2) The toxicity of atrazine is well documented and has
shown to have adverse endocrine effects in amphibians, mammals,
and humans. There is evidence that atrazine exposure is
associated with low sperm counts and poor motility in exposed
adult men, and that prebirth atrazine exposure is associated
with small birth weight and abnormal development of the gut
wall in infants. In laboratory mammals, exposure is associated
with abnormal reproductive system development, impaired
prostate gland formation, and abnormal breast tissue
development. In aquatic wildlife, exposure is associated with
abnormal reproductive system development, impaired
reproduction, and impaired immune system function.
(3) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service
acknowledges that atrazine may have potential adverse effects
on fish, such as organ tissue disease, disruption to the
endocrine and olfactory systems, and reduced reproductive
function.
(4) The United States Geological Survey found atrazine in
approximately 75 percent of stream waters and 40 percent of all
ground water samples from agricultural areas tested. According
to data from the Environmental Protection Agency Ecological
Watershed Monitoring Program, the surface water sampled in the
Midwestern and Southern United States suffers from pervasive
atrazine contamination. Sampling of watersheds between 2004 and
2006 showed that all 40 watersheds tested had detectable levels
of atrazine and 25 watersheds had average concentrations above
1 ppb. While these average elevated concentrations of atrazine
are worrisome, high peak concentrations may also be dangerous.
Nine watersheds had at least one sample showing levels above 50
ppb, and four watersheds had levels above 100 ppb.
(5) According to data from the Environmental Protection
Agency Atrazine Monitoring Program, high levels of atrazine are
also evident in drinking water systems. More than 90 percent of
the samples taken in 139 water systems had measurable levels of
atrazine in both 2003 and 2004. Three systems had annual
averages exceeding 3 ppb.
(6) In 1991, Germany and Italy banned the use of atrazine.
In 2003, European regulators announced a ban on the pesticide
throughout the European Union.
(7) The Department of Agriculture estimates that a ban on
atrazine would result in crop losses of only 1.19 percent and
decrease corn acreage by only 2.3 percent. Since banning
atrazine nearly 20 years ago, both Italy and Germany have not
experienced a reduction of corn productivity or total acreage
of land in production.
SEC. 2. ATRAZINE PROHIBITION.
Notwithstanding any other law, the use, production, sale,
importation, or exportation of atrazine or an atrazine product is
prohibited.
SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT.
Any person who violates section 2 shall be fined under title 18,
United States Code, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Atrazine.--The term ``atrazine'' or ``active ingredient
atrazine'' refers to the pesticide chemical 2-chloro-4-
ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-1,3,5-triazine.
(2) Atrazine product.--The term ``atrazine product'' means
any pesticide containing the active ingredient atrazine, as
identified on the Environmental Protection Agency registered
label, either alone or in a combination with other pesticides.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
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