Greenpeace Dumps a Ton of Starlink Contaminated Corn at EPA HQ in Washington

Greenpeace today dumped one ton of Starlink Corn outside the
EPA's headquarters in Washington, DC. We decided to challenge
the new Administrator, Christine Whitman, during her first week on
the job to reject approval for Starlink in human food. We also drew
attention to the fact that she will probably appoint Linda Fisher, the
former Vice President for government and public affairs at
Monsanto as her assistant administrator, eg. 'government of
Monsanto, for Monsanto, by Monsanto."

Police handcuffed and arrested all activists but let them off with a
minimum fine later in the day. Reuters, AP, CNN, ABC, NBC and
others were there to cover it. See our photo on
www.greenpeaceusa.org. Hopefully visuals will be coming to a
movie theater near you soon......

press release follows:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2001

NEW EPA HEAD FINDS GENETIC FOOD FIGHT WAITING

Whitman to Name Former Monsanto Executive as Second
at Agency

WASHINGTON - More than a ton of StarLink corn dumped at
EPA headquarters today provided a welcome mat for Christine
Todd Whitman, just starting her new job as head of the agency,
and a reminder of the genetic food fight that is waiting her attention.
A dozen Greenpeace activists dressed in biohazard suits and
holding a banner reading, "Genetic Experiment - Whitman:
StarLink Corn Isn't Food!," piled the gene-altered corn in the
Environmental Protection Agency's driveway to underscore the
group's demands that the agency not approve the animal feed crop
for human food. Scientists have warned that the altered corn could
trigger dangerous allergies in some people, with children at
greatest risk.

In a move that signals a continuing revolving door between
regulators and the biotech industry, Whitman is expected to name
former Monsanto executive Linda Fisher as Deputy Administrator of
EPA, according to today's Washington Post. Fisher is just the
latest genetic engineering crony to be added to the Bush
administration, which already includes at least four others with ties
to Monsanto.

"The Bush Administration is shamelessly handing over our food to
the gene giants," said Charles Margulis, Greenpeace Genetic
Engineering Specialist. "Christy Whitman is known for favoring dirty
industries over scientific precaution, and with Monsanto attached at
her hip, we're sure to see more genetic food pollution."

The American Chemical Council (ACC), a trade group that includes
the major producers of engineered crops, has already reacted
warmly to the Whitman's appointment. According to Chemical
Week, ACA President Fred Webber "is optimistic about the
appointment given Whitman's record in New Jersey." Even before
her confirmation as the new EPA chief, Whitman called Webber to
express her desire to work together with the industry.

ACC has good reason to be optimistic. The former New Jersey
Governor has a reputation, even among her own agency staff, for
being soft on polluters. According to a 1997 survey of over 700 New
Jersey Department of Environmental Quality staffers, enforcement
of environmental laws under Whitman was marred by "excessive
corporate influence and manipulation of scientific findings." The
survey, conducted by Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility (PEER), found that more than half of the
environmental staffers felt that "scientific evaluations are influenced
by political considerations" under Whitman.

Since last fall, nearly 300 food products have been contaminated
with StarLink corn. EPA approved StarLink only for animal feed,
and required Aventis, the developer of the corn, to insure that the
corn is used only for feed. EPA officials have stated that Aventis
illegally allowed StarLink to contaminate the food supply, but the
agency has never indicated that it would enforce its rules against
the company.

"Christy Whitman has been cozying up to the chemical and
biotech industries while environmentalists and consumers are left
holding the feed bag," said Margulis. "Wealthy companies should
not be granted pardons, they should be held accountable for
polluting our food."

CONTACT: Charles Margulis, (202) 258-3029 (mobile); Craig Culp,
Greenpeace Media, (202) 251-6296 (mobile), (202) 319-2461.