March 24, 2002 Dear Alan Tasker,
The Clean List legislation in the Draft Action Plan for Noxious Weeds is a cynical attempt to take-over of a basic freedom which is sacred to all humans on the earth...free exchange of seeds. This is a great crime against humanity--equal to Milosevich or Hitler. I oppose this legislation with all my heart. The problem of noxious weeds is the fault of conventional agriculture of the last 50 years which has destroyed soil health. The answer, of course, is sustainable organic practice--composting, return of microoganisms to the soil. Noxious weeds grow on soil that has been overgrazed, herbicided, fertilized with synthetic fertilizers. Now you propose to cure this by spraying herbicide willy-nilly on BLM land and limiting the free exchange of seeds and plants interstate by requiring a $100 registration fee even to home gardeners and the Safeguarding Review recommending adopting a modified "clean list approach" for propagative material, specifying what is permissible, rather than listing regulated plants. This is a continuation of a political take-over of agriculture by ag chemical corporations and this "clean list" legislation was written by their lawyers. NO! Merla Barberie 1251 Rolling Thunder Ridge Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 cc: Docket No. 01-034-1 Regulatory Analysis and Development PPD, APHIS Suite 3C03 4700 River Road, Unit 118 Riverdale, MD 20737-1238
