ATTACHMENT 1
RESOLUTION NO. ______
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF SANTA MONICA EXPRESSING THE NEED TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT FROM GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON
WHEREAS, the Food and Drug Administration is considering approval of the first genetically-engineered (GE) organism for human consumption, AquaBounty Technologies (AquaBounty) AquAdvantage® salmon; and
WHEREAS, the FDA has no means to assess AquaBounty’s GE salmon as a product intended for human consumption and the review process being used is intended for new animal drugs, rather than the creation of new food animals; and
WHEREAS, such a limited review by the FDA of the first GE animal for human consumption could endanger consumer and environmental health, and more research is needed before this product is released into the marketplace; and
WHEREAS, only a limited amount of information was released to the public two weeks before review committee hearings, during which committee members criticized the AquaBounty salmon studies, calling for additional testing; and
WHEREAS, the approval of GE salmon also presents significant environmental risks, including the potential for these fish to escape and spread in the natural environment, the potential for up to 5% of the fish’s eggs to be viable, and the pressure that even sterile GE fish would put on wild salmon stocks by competing for resources; and
WHEREAS, on September 17th, 2010, fourteen California legislators sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg registering deep concern that "approval [of AquaBounty salmon] will lead to numerous other applications to grow this and other genetically modified fish... [and] California's wild salmon runs are at historical lows and are not capable of withstanding an additional assault that could come from escaped genetically-modified farmed salmon in the future"; and
WHEREAS, Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein and CA Representatives Mike Thompson, George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, Jackie Speier, Barbara Lee, Sam Farr, John Garamendi, Lois Capps, Doris Matsui, along with others throughout the country sent letters to FDA Commissioner Hamburg in late 2010 that expressed serious DRAFTconcerns language about the potential prepared approval of GE salmon; for and presentation to ETF
WHEREAS, nearly 400,000 comments were submitted to the FDA criticizing the approval process and urging the FDA not approve the GE salmon in late 2010; and
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WHEREAS, approval of this GE fish could set a dangerous precedent for AquaBounty and other companies seeking FDA approval for other genetically engineered animals;
BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Santa Monica is extremely concerned about the impacts of GE salmon, were it to be approved, on consumer health and the environment and strongly opposes its approval;
BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Santa Monica urges Congressman Henry Waxman to co-sponsor H.R. 521, introduced by Representative Young (AK-at large) and co-sponsored by Representatives Stark (CA-13) and Woolsey (CA-6) among others, which would prevent the approval of genetically engineered fish under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act; and further,
BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of Santa Monica urges Congressman Waxman to write President Obama and FDA Commissioner Hamburg, urging them to immediately put a stop to the FDA’s pending approval of the first GE organism for human consumption – AquaBounty Technologies (AquaBounty) AquAdvantage® salmon.
RESOLUTION NO. ______
DRAFT language prepared for presentation to ETF