Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FEPCA) of 1972 Quotes

Panic decisions on regulatory matters, inspired and promulgated by today’s abundant supply of instant ecologists, legal opportunists, activists with or without cause….Many of these people know not what they do, let alone what they say.

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R.E. Naegele, manager of Dow Chemical’s agricultural department, Testimony, House Committee on Agriculture.

Many companies have cut back drastically their research efforts on new pesticides and diverted their funds to defensive research….Legislation and regulation may ban products but replacements cannot be regulated into existence…Companies are leaving the pesticide business or cutting down their research and development efforts.

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R.E. Naegele, manager of Dow Chemical’s agricultural department, Testimony, House Committee on Agriculture.

Are we stripping our [pesticide] arsenal of essential weapons? If we strip that arsenal, something is bound to happen. I can’t predict what insect, what disease vector, might attack the food supply or health of this country….The consequences of such a situation may go far beyond a mere food shortage….The position of our State Department could be impaired….Our military potential could be seriously affected.

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R.E. Naegele, manager of Dow Chemical’s agricultural department, Testimony, House Committee on Agriculture.

Present regulations have been effective in protecting human health and our food supply….We do not have a pesticide environmental crisis at this time.

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D. Lyle Goleman, Chairman of the Entomology Department at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. House Committee on Agriculture.

There have been no reports of illness or death which can be attributed to pesticides when they were properly used and the precautions followed.

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D. Lyle Goleman, Chairman of the Entomology Department at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. House Committee on Agriculture.

If you people ban the use of endrin [see below] until we know a lot more about it then we do now, many orchards will simply go out of production.

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Rep. George Goodling (R-PA). House Committee on Agriculture hearings.

You and I know that chemical companies spend millions and millions of dollars in research. How long are they going to continue to do this if we continue to harass them?

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Rep. George Goodling (R-PA). House Committee on Agriculture hearings.