Protesters opposing a bill. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
(. North Dakota Monitor) – The North Dakota Senate passed a bill that backers say ensures farmers in the state will have access to needed ag chemicals, while protesters outside the Capitol lobbied against legal protections for pesticide manufacturers.
House Bill 1318, which is similar to legislation being considered in several other states, passed on a vote of 29-18. The bill was amended and will return to the House, which had previously given the bill unanimous approval.
Much of the discussion on the bill has centered on the product Roundup, produced by the German company Bayer. Bayer has been hit with several lawsuits alleging that Roundup causes cancer even though the Environmental Protection Agency has not determined that the herbicide causes cancer.
Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, said the bill confirms that “the label is the law” and that a court ruling can’t lead to the product being pulled from the market. A California case threatened to temporarily pull Roundup from the market in some western states.
