Opposing the DARK Act rider
November 30, 2015
The Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
House Minority Leader
The Honorable Hal Rogers
Chairman, House Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Nita Lowey
Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Senate Majority Leader
The Honorable Harry Reid
Senate Minority Leader
The Honorable Thad Cochran
Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee
The Honorable Barbara Mikulski
Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Committee
Re: No DARK Act Policy Rider in the Upcoming Omnibus Appropriations Bill
On behalf of more than 290 organizations, farming and fishing groups, and food companies, representing tens of millions of members and customers across the country, we write to strongly oppose the inclusion of any policy rider in the upcoming omnibus appropriations bill that would deny consumers the right to know what it is in their food and how it is grown.
Nine out of ten American consumers consistently report they want the right to know what’s in their food and how it’s grown — a right already held by consumers in 64 countries. Yet some Members of Congress want to include a policy rider in the upcoming omnibus bill that would preempt state laws that require disclosure of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food.
There is no room for ideological policy riders like this in the omnibus appropriations bill and we urge you to oppose any such efforts.
Sincerely,
Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director
Center for Food Safety
Lynn Thorp, National Campaigns Director
Clean Water Action
Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy
Consumer Federation of America
Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives
Consumers Union
Marty Hayden, Vice President of Policy & Legislation
Earthjustice
Scott Faber, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs
Environmental Working Group
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director
Food & Water Watch
Erich Pica, President
Friends of the Earth
Rick Hind, Legislative Director
Greenpeace
Gary Hirshberg, Chairman
Just Label It
Sara Chieffo, Vice President, Government Affairs
League of Conservation Voters
Ferd Hoefner, Policy Director
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Erik D. Olson, Director, Health & Environment Program
Natural Resources Defense Council
Robert Weissman, President
Public Citizen
Melinda Pierce, Legislative Director
Sierra Club
350NJ
Abundance
ACEDC
Action Aid USA
Activate CT
Adult and Family, PC
Advocates for Justice
AIMA of Nashua, PLLC
Alaska Trollers Association
All Pets Go to Heaven
AllergyKids Foundation
Alliance for Democracy
Alliance for Natural Health USA
Alliance for Sustainability
American Anti-Vivisection Society
American Association for Justice
American Grassfed Association
American Lung Association in California
American Sustainable Business Council
Amy’s Kitchen
Animal Rights Activists of New Jersey
Arizay
As You Sow
Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake Counties Farmers Union
Be the Change
Berkeley Heights Environmental Commission
Berks Gas Truth
Beyond Pesticides
Beyond Toxics
Breast Cancer Fund
Brooklyn Bridge CSA
Burlington County Young Democrats
Bus for Progress
Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)
CA Proposition 37
California Organics
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
CATA (The Farmworker Support Committee)
Cedar Circle Farm and Education Center
Center for a Livable Future
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Environmental Health
Center for Environmental Transformation
Center for Food Safety
Center for Media and Democracy
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War
Church Women in New York State
Citizens for a Clean Pompton Lakes
Citizens for GMO Labeling
City Rising Farm
Clean Water Action
Clif Bar & Company
Coastal Monmouth Democratic Club
Coastal Trollers Association
Community Alliance for Global Justice
Community Farm Alliance
Community to Community Development
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
ConnFACT
Consumer Federation of America
Consumers Union
Cornucopia Institute
Council for Responsible Genetics
Dakota Resource Council
Dakota Rural Action
Des Moines County Farmers and Neighbors for Optimal Health
Dignity Health
Earth Open Source
Earthjustice
Eco-Justice Ministries
Ecological Farming Association
Ecumenical Eco Justice Network
Environment America
Environmental Working Group
Experimental Farm Network
Fair World Project
Falcon Trading Company, Inc
Family Farm & Crop Advisory Business
Family Farm Defenders
Farm Aid
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Farm Sanctuary
Farmer-Veteran Coalition
Farms Not Arms
Farmworker Association of Florida
Farmworker Self-Help
Fay-Penn Economic Development Council
Fishing Vessel Owners Association
Food & Water Watch
Food Chain Workers Alliance
Food Democracy Now!
Food Facts
Food First
Food for Maine’s Future
Food Policy Action
Foodshed Alliance
Franciscan Response to Fracking
Friends of Atascadero Wetlands
Friends of Family Farmers
Friends of the Earth US
Gap Mountain Goats
Global Justice Ecology Project
Global Organics, Ltd.
GMO Free Arizona
GMO Free Connecticut
GMO Free Florida
GMO Free Maryland
GMO Free Nevada
GMO Free Nevada, Las Vegas Chapter
GMO Free New Jersey
GMO Free New Mexico
GMO Free NY
GMO Free NJ
GMO-Free PA
GMO Free Rockingham County, NC
GMO Free San Juans
GMO Free USA
Go Wild Campaign
Grassroots Action Network
Green Across the World, Inc.
Green America
Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition
Green Education and Legal Fund
Green Environmental Coalition
Green Party of Monmouth County
Greenpeace
Harmony Starts
HOPE Farmers Market
HUB SOMA
Illinois Right to Know GMO
Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Institute for Responsible Technology
Institute for Social Ecology
Integrative Mental Health for You
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
Iowa Farmers Union
Iowa Organic Association
Iowa right to know
Just Food
Just Label It
Label GMO Nevada
Label GMOs Sonoma County
Label In WNY
Label the Truth Ohio
LabelGMOs.org
Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy
League of Conservation Voters
League of Independent Voters of Texas
Liberty Prairie Foundation
Link Up for Health
Local Food Rules
Lundberg Family Farms
MA Right to Know GMOs
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Mangrove Action Project
Maryknoll Sisters Eastern Region, USA
Michigan Land Trustees
Midwest Environmental Justice Organization
Moms Across America
Moms Across America of the CA State Grange
MOMS Advocating Sustainability
Monadnock Buy Local
Mothering Mother
MoveOn.org Civic Action
National Black Farmers Association
National Co+op Grocers
National Family Farm Coalition
National Hmong American Farmers Inc
National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Assn.
National Organic Coalition
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Natural Grocers
Nature’s Path
Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society
New England Farmers Union
NH Live GMO Free or Die
NH Right to Know GMO
NJ PDA
NJ State Industrial Union Council
NoGMO4Michigan
Non-GMO Project
North Jersey Pipeline Walkers
Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance
Northeast Organic Farming Association – Connecticut
Northeast Organic Farming Association – Interstate Council
Northeast Organic Farming Association – Massachusetts
Northeast Organic Farming Association – New Hampshire
Northeast Organic Farming Association – New Jersey
Northeast Organic Farming Association – New York
Northeast Organic Farming Association – Vermont
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
Northern NJ Chapter of National Organization for Women
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Nourishing Ways of West MI
NYPIRG
Occupy Hingham
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association
Ohio Environmental Council
Ohio Farmers Union
One Fish Foundation
Oregon Right to Know
Oregon Rural Action
Oregon Tilth
Oregonians for Safe Farms and Families
Organic Consumers Association
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Organic Seed Alliance
Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association
Organic Trade Association
Organic Valley | CROPP Cooperative
Other Worlds
Our Family Farm Coalition
PeaceRoots Alliance
PCC Natural Markets
Pesticide Action Network North America
Planting Seeds of HOPE
Powder River Basin Resource Council
Presence Marketing
Progress Now New Mexico
Progress Ohio
Quest
Rainforest Relief
Raritan Headwaters Association
Right to Know Colorado
Right to Know Minnesota
Right to Know RI
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
Rodale Institute
Rural Advancement Foundation International – USA
Rural Coalition
Rural Vermont
Sacramento Community Grange
Safe Water Society
Sierra Club
Skylands Group, NJ Sierra Club
Slow Food Bluegrass
Slow Food California
Slow Food Northern NJ
Slow Food Santa Cruz
Slow Food USA
Small Planet Institute
Socially Responsible Agriculture Project
Soil Generation
Sojourns Community Clinic
South Jersey Organic Garden Club
St. Mary’s Advocates for Justice
St. Mary’s Franciscan Parish, Pompton Lakes
St. Mary’s Urban Farm
Sustainable Business Alliance
Sustainable Food Center
Sustainable Food Trade Association
Sustainable Greenville
Tennessee Chapter Sierra Club
TexPIRG
The Acequia Institute
The Organic & Non-GMO Report
The Oregon Bus Project
Three Twins Ice Cream
Tilth Producers of Washington
Toxic Free NC
Transition Newton & Northwest NJ
U.S. PIRG
U.S. Right to Know
Uncle Matts
United Methodist Caretakers of God’s Creation
United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters
Valley Organic Growers Association (VOGA)
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
Vermont Public Interest Research Group
Vermont Right to Know GMOs
VT Right to Know GMOs Coalition
Washington Biotechnology Action Council
Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network
West Michigan Paelo/Primal Tribe
Western Colorado Congress
Western New York Peace Center
Western Organization of Resource Councils
Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice
Women, Food and Agriculture Network