ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE
Poison In Our Maryland Drinking Water: Political Inaction and the Role of the Farm Bureau
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BY MICHAEL TABOR WITH MICHELLE ALONSO
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7KHUROHRIWKH)DUP%XUHDXNQRZQDV WKH$PHULFDQ)DUP%XUHDX)HGHUDWLRQQD - tionally, needs further explanation. It start- HGLQ ZKHQWKH&KDPEHURI&RPPHUFH LQ %LQJKDPWRQ 1< RQ EHKDOI RI LWV DUHD farmers sponsored an extension agent — an individual who works for a county, region, or state and serves as an expert on industry advances in agriculture, economic growth, animal production, diet, nutrition, or com- munity development, often connected to a local university — and this position was IXQGHGE\WKH86'$(DUO\RQWKH)DUP%X - UHDX )% VHUYHGLQDVRFLDODQGHGXFDWLRQDO capacity, by creating networks among farm- ers and agricultural experts to share infor- mation; and to provide collective bargain- ing power to negotiate rates with companies for agricultural supplies like seed, feed and
FDWHJRULHV WKHUH DUH PRUH WKDQ FRQ - taminants, including some pronounceable LWHPVVXFKDVDWUD]LQHFKORULQH'((7DQG ibuprofen; and many that are harder to pro- QRXQFHOLNHFDUEDPD]HSLQHGLEURPRFKOR - URSURSDQHHWK\OEHQ]HQHKH[DFKORURF\FOR - SHQWDGLHQH DQG PRUH $ UHYHUVHRVPRVLV ¿OWHUFRXOGEHWKHEHVWSURWHFWLRQIRU0DU\ - land families. 0DQ\ RI WKH FKHPLFDOV IRXQG LQ 0DU\ - land tap water are introduced into the eco- system as a result of untreated industrial UXQR̆ VXEXUEDQ ODZQ DQG JROI FRXUVH maintenance, illegal disposal of expired pharmaceuticals, as well as those chemicals used by agriculture, especially industrial farming. For example, most corn in the US LV SODQWHG ZLWK DWUD]LQH D JHQGHUEHQG - er endocrine disrupter produced in Swit-
equipment, as well as for insurance, much like a trade union does for its members. Over time, local and state farm bureaus formed and FRQQHFWHGZLWKWKHQDWLRQDOSDUHQWRUJDQL]DWLRQVRWKDWHYHQWXDOO\ WKHLUSUHVHQFHDQGLQÀXHQFHJUHZJLYLQJWKHPWKHDELOLW\WREUDQFK into lobbying for their mutual interests. Today, their power and reach LVHQRUPRXV7KH)%KDVJURZQWRUHSUHVHQWFRPSDQLHVOLNH'X3RQW 8QLRQ &DUELGH 7\VRQ )RRGV DQG PDQ\ ¿QDQFLDO VHUYLFH ¿UPV RLO and gas companies, timber, pesticide and insurance corporations. %RWKWKH'HPRFUDWLFDQG5HSXEOLFDQSDUWLHVDUHFRPSOLFLWLQJLY - LQJWKH)%DQGLWVPDQ\DUPVSRZHULQÀXHQFHDQGDYLUWXDOYHWRRI pesticide reduction despite the negative impacts of pesticides on our KHDOWK(DFKFDQGLGDWHUXQQLQJIRUVWDWHṘ FHLV³LQYLWHG´WRMRLQWKH )DUP%XUHDXDQGPDQ\GR$QGWKH)DUP%XUHDXVDWWKHQDWLRQDO and state levels actively endorse legislative candidates they view as pro agriculture. $JRRGFULWLTXHRIWKH)DUP%XUHDXLQFOXGLQJLWVSRVLWLRQRQSHV - ticide use, is available from DUHSRUWE\'HIHQGHUVRI:LOGOLIH , $PEHU :DYHV RI *DLQ +RZ WKH )DUP %XUHDX LV 5HDSLQJ 3UR¿WV DW WKH ([SHQVH RI $PHULFD¶V )DPLO\ )DUPHUV 7D[SD\HUV DQG WKH Environment $PRUHUHFHQWVWRU\GHWDLOLQJWKHLQÀXHQWLDOSRZHURI WKH)DUP%XUHDXOREE\LWVDOOLDQFHZLWKLQGXVWULDODJULEXVLQHVVDQG the growing divisiveness with smaller farming groups can be found in a FROODERUDWLRQEHWZHHQ,QYHVWLJDWH0LGZHVWDQG:DWFKGRJ :ULWHUV*URXS 7KH$PHULFDQ)DUP%XUHDX)HGHUDWLRQFODLPVLW¶V WKHµ9RLFHRI$JULFXOWXUH¶7KHVHJURXSVEHJWRGL̆ HU (www.investi- JDWHPLGZHVWRUJ ,¿UVWMRLQHGWKH)DUP%XUHDX\HDUVDJRZKHQ,ZDVR̆ HUHGD large discount for a farm insurance policy through Nationwide Insur- ance ( IURP it was known as the )DUP%XUHDX0XWXDO$XWR - mobile Insurance Company . 7KH)%KDVRSSRVHGWKH(QYLURQPHQ -
]HUODQG EXW EDQQHG WKHUH DQG LQ WKH ZKROH (XURSHDQ 8QLRQ GXH WR WKHLU³SUHFDXWLRQDU\SULQFLSOH´$QGZHHGNLOOHUVVXFKDVJO\SKRVDWHV IRXQGLQ5RXQGXS DUHURXWLQHO\DSSOLHGWRWKHODQGWREHXVHGLQ FRQMXQFWLRQZLWK*02VHHGVWRSURGXFHDODUJHUYROXPHFURS $VDFRQFHUQHGRUJDQLFIDUPHU,VXSSRUWHGDELOODQGWHVWL¿HGEH - IRUHWKH0DU\ODQG6HQDWHDQG+RXVHDERXWWHQ\HDUVDJRRQFKHPLFDOV LQWKHGULQNLQJZDWHUZHDOOXVHDQGEDWKHLQIURPWKHWDS$VSDUWRI P\WHVWLPRQ\,R̆ HUHGWKHPHPEHUVDJODVVRIWDSZDWHU1RWHYHQ the most conservative Eastern Shore rep accepted a glass from me. They preferred the bottled water. When I introduced evidence by sci- entists showing that the amphibians swimming in our drinking water routinely changed their sex from male to female, farmers and conser- YDWLYH GHOHJDWHV WKRXJKW LW ZDV DPXVLQJ DQG ODXJKHG %XW ZKHQ ZH introduced evidence that the drinking water contained endocrine dis- ruptors that also made the women in their households more suscepti- ble to uterine and breast cancer, the men more susceptible to prostate cancer, and caused fetal brain abnormalities, they grew silent. 7KHLVVXHVWLOOLVQ¶WIXQQ\ The Role of the Farm Bureau The presence of chemicals and other toxins in our drinking water supply due to agricultural pollution is not breaking news. The problem has been well documented all over the country. In fact, an analysis UHOHDVHGE\WKH(QYLURQPHQWDO:RUNLQJ*URXS (:* LQ found QHZVUHSRUWVVLQFHRIDJULFXOWXUDOSROOXWLRQFRQWDPLQDWLQJ drinking water with nitrate, animal waste, pesticides or disinfection E\SURGXFWV DOO RI ZKLFK DUH RIWHQ DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK UXQR̆ IURP IDUP ¿HOGV7KH(:*UHSRUWLQFOXGHGDQLQWHUDFWLYHPDSZLWKOLQNVWRWKRVH VWRULHV¿OHGDERXWWKHFRQWDPLQDWLRQRIGULQNLQJZDWHULQORFD - WLRQVLQFOXGLQJVXFKVWRULHVUHSRUWHGIRU0DU\ODQG ZZZHZJRUJ LQWHUDFWLYHPDSVDJFRQWDPLQDQWVWRULHVPDS
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PATHWAYS—Fall 22—11
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