Iowa Republicans Want to Shield Pesticide Firms From Cancer Lawsuits
“It’s a common acceptance in rural Iowa that we’re probably being poisoned, but we don’t want to know about it because we’re not sure we can do anything about it,” Faux said.
Over the last year, Faux has opposed S.F. 394 through his work at the Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network, a coalition that seeks to end the country’s reliance on pesticides. PAN, along with a number of other advocacy groups, including Food and Water Watch, has led opposition efforts across the state. In February, more than 150 people rallied in the Capitol against the legislation.
It’s important but exhausting work, Faux said. “This is not what I do by nature. I prefer to grow things, or I prefer to educate people, which are the two things that I’ve done more of my life,” he said. Still, he thinks advocacy is needed nationwide. In addition to similar legislation being close to passing in Georgia and North Dakota, the attorneys general of Nebraska, Iowa, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota have also filed a petition to amend a federal law that would make it harder to sue pesticide companies.
