EPA Abandons Safety and Scientific Concerns by Approving Largest Mass Release of Genetically Modified Species Without Independent Oversight

Billions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes set for imminent release in Florida and California, with zero transparency assured by Oxitec’s contract and Non-Disclosures.

ISLAMORADA, Fla., March 11, 2022 – On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved Oxitec’s Experimental Use Permit (EUP) to extend and expand experiments of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes (GMMs), abandoning safety concerns expressed by scientists, public health experts and environmental groups. The experiments by the for-profit British corporation would involve releases of an estimated 1.5 billion GMMs in Monroe County, FL, and 2.5 billion GMMs in Stanislaus, Fresno, Tulare, and San Bernardino Counties in California. The EUP allows Oxitec to experiment through April 30, 2024.

Notable scientists have repeatedly exposed flaws and concerns with Oxitec’s GMO Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The company has a concerning history of misrepresentation or failure in all other venues where they have experimented, followed by purposeful efforts to cover up those issues and attack the researchers who publish unfavorable findings.

This questionable action by the EPA is in stark contrast to a Biden Administration directive issued in 2021 to restore trust in government through “scientific integrity.” On January 11, 2022, an announcement made by the EPA stated that Endangered Species Act (ESA) analyses would be performed for all conventional pesticide active ingredients (AIs). The agency historically avoided many required ESA investigations.

The EPA said in its statement, “Before (the) announcement, in most cases, EPA did not consistently assess the potential effects of conventional pesticides on listed species. This resulted in insufficient protections for listed species, as well as resource-intensive litigation against EPA for registering new (pesticides) prior to assessing potential effects on listed species.” The agency ended its press release stating, “EPA is also continuing to explore applying these new ESA approaches to new biopesticide AIs and new antimicrobial AIs.”  The Oxitec GMO mosquito is being regulated by the EPA as a biopesticide.

When pressed about why no endangered species analysis was done for the 35 species that call the Florida Keys home, the EPA representatives Jake Li (Deputy Assistant Administrator, EPA), Michael Mendelsohn (Emerging Technologies Branch, Chief) and Charles “Billy” Smith (Emerging Technologies Branch), defended the neglect in a Monday, March 7, 2022, afternoon video meeting by stating that the new EPA position only applies to conventional pesticides and not to experimental biopesticides.

By excluding the new mandatory ESA analysis for biopesticides, the EPA gives itself a loophole to approve Oxitec’s GMO mosquitoes. GMMs represent the most complex and controversial biopesticide ever considered. There is no reason to exclude biopesticides, especially those as risky as GMMs, from thorough and rigorous ESA analysis other than to placate the demands of the foreign corporation Oxitec. Compliance with the ESA should be required when evaluating and registering all new pesticides, not just chemical pesticides.

“The EPA’s decision ignores all basic logic,” said Barry Wray, Executive Director of the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition (FKEC.org). The nonprofit group has served as the face of the opposition to Oxitec’s desire to experiment in the FL Keys for over 10 years. Wray continued, “The EPA has been shown very clearly that Oxitec misrepresented recent field performance on its original application with the EPA for experimentation in the Keys. They have been shown that each time an independent scientific investigation evaluates Oxitec’s technology in the lab or field, the results contradict or find significant flaws and concerns with Oxitec claims. The release of scientific data from the Cayman Islands field trials showed Oxitec’s failure in contrast to their continued claims of success; yet the EPA only reviewed Oxitec-generated claims as sufficient information for approving the largest release in history of a genetically modified animal into the wild.”

Oxitec’s field trial programs in every venue, including the FL Keys, are designed with contracts that put information release and data in the sole control of Oxitec. This is reinforced with individual Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) that prevent the municipalities or individuals working on these programs from sharing any information with the public.

When asked why there is no independent oversight of the field experiments to verify the accuracy of data, the EPA claimed the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Safety (FDACS), led by Commissioner Nikki Fried, was performing oversight. Four of the participants on the March 7, 2022 EPA call also participated in a video call on February 18, 2022 with FDACS, where it was made clear FDACS has not participated in, nor had they made any plans to provide active independent field oversight.

FDACS representatives were asked about data from a field trial permitted in 2021 in the FL Keys, designed to verify distribution ranges of the GMMs. FDACS representatives stated that they did not expect to receive that data until October 2022, well after the EPA’s approval for the commencement of the mass distribution of GMMs into the wild in Florida and California.

Luan Van Le, Communications Director for GMO/Toxin Free USA, a partner of the Coalition to Stop GMO Mosquitoes, stated, “There have been no recent cases of locally transmitted diseases from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Florida. There have been zero cases of locally transmitted diseases from Aedes aegypti in California. The United States has no problems with locally transmitted diseases from Aedes aegypti. Disease transmission is not a justification for Oxitec’s GMO mosquitoes.”

Le added, “Despite what pro-GMO mosquito advocates say, Oxitec’s GMO mosquitoes will not reduce pesticide spraying. When municipalities spray, they’re targeting all mosquito species, not just Aedes aegypti, which represent a small subset of local mosquito populations. Oxitec and their proponents are lying when they say pesticide spraying will stop or decrease.”

Le concluded, “Since the public has not received any data whatsoever from Oxitec regarding the 2021 experiment in the Florida Keys, the EPA should have never approved this next round of experiments. Based on existing evidence, we believe that Oxitec’s application should have been rejected outright. State and municipal regulators should not consider Oxitec’s bid for more releases until we have the 2021 Florida Keys data.”

“The EPA choice to ignore clear signs of incompetence and historical erroneous claims by Oxitec would be grounds for dismissal at any private corporation. It is hard to understand why there are more controls and protections for conventional technologies than experimental genetically engineered ones. Why would the EPA, with the vast array of potential consequences associated with the most complex biopesticide ever considered, choose not to use the resources available to them to run independent testing and verification of a private company’s claims? This is a massive experiment that cannot be recalled, where humans and wildlife are put at risk without any justification or urgency, for a technology that has been rejected by 4 out of 5 countries where it was tested,” said Wray.

Wray continued, “This is a pattern of failure by the EPA that highlights the need for regulatory overhaul in the U.S. It is a failure of the EPA to learn from their very own history, where they believed Exxon’s assertions, later shown to be purposefully marketed misrepresentation, that burning petroleum-based fossil fuels would not lead to global warming; where the EPA knew and refused to acknowledge there was lead in public drinking water in Flint, Michigan, and other cities; where after 12 years of stalling, in 2021 they were forced by the 9th Circuit Court to remove Chlorpyrifos insecticide, a known carcinogen, from use; and where massive decades-long oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico are ignored. This regulatory agency is either grossly incompetent, incapable of self-correction, or corrupted. But in all cases, they are repeatedly compromising the health, safety and interests of the American People and it needs to be changed.”

In finishing Wray said, “We are calling on Floridians and concerned citizens to act! Contact your local elected officials, ask FDACS to reject new experiments and require independent scientific oversight at the vendor’s expense, not the taxpayers. And let the President and the EPA know this is not OK!”

TAKE ACTION HERE: https://stopgmm.com/take-action

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The Florida Keys Environmental Coalition is a Florida Not For Profit of individuals, organizations and businesses focused on protecting the ecosystems of the Florida Keys and supports all initiatives working to protect these ecosystems. Formed in 2010 as a citizen response to the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. FKEC is officially recognized by every municipality in the Keys as a scientific voice of representation for the health and safety of the ecosystems to the communities within. FKEC can be reached at support@fkec.org and supports a community conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/FKEC.org

GMO/Toxin Free USA is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocating for a clean, healthy food system and environment and educating consumers about the hazards of GMOs, synthetic pesticides, and other toxins. Contact: info@gmofreeusa.org