Tag: pollinators

Environmental Health Trust (EHT)

Happy New Year! This very day your CSA Farmers are working on “seed counts” to make sure we are prepared for the upcoming planting season. Robert and I trust the approaching growing season will be as bountiful as the last! We are currently accepting new CSA Members for our 2024 Harvest Season.

January is one of those months when I have time to delve into and share various topics. Here is an opportunity to consider one such issue. If you are so inclined, please share this with others and consider communicating with your state and federal lawmakers to raise their awareness on the subject which follows below.

In a landmark winning case that EHT and others brought against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, a federal court (the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia) ruled in favor of the EHT and plaintiffs finding that the FCC and the U.S. government had “completely ignored” the issue of environmental effects. 

The court ordered the agency to respond, yet the FCC has remained silent on the issue. The Environmental Health Trust is taking a variety of actions to hold the FCC accountable. A new website is one part of EHT’s comprehensive wildlife program to support meaningful policy changes to protect wildlife.  The proliferation of cell towers and 5G networks cannot be considered “safe” for wildlife as they create impacts to orientation, reproduction, mating, nesting, DNA, and survivorship.

The majority of studies (not sponsored by the telecom industry) found harmful effects and warned that insects were uniquely vulnerable to 5G frequencies.  Protecting the wildlife will protect your food supply since the majority of the vegetables we grow depend upon pollination from insects.

Wildlife and Wireless showcases scientific studies regarding the impact to birds, bees, and trees providing references to direct concerned citizens to the published studies on the environmental impacts of cell towers and other wireless proliferation. It is important to note that safety guidelines for cellular phones and cellular tower radiation have not been updated since 1996.

Bills Before Congress vs. Veggies

The garden is all cleaned up and put to “bed” for the 2023 Harvest Season. This feat was accomplished by Halloween which is a record for our small, family-farming operation. As a result I have time to delve into the many projects I have been postponing. Hang on . . . here we go . . .

Stakes, poles, fences, fabric, ground staples and debris all removed for the winter!

Congress is currently considering 50 bills in both chambers that, collectively, would promote significant proliferation of wireless antennas and infrastructure across the country and in space, leading to higher levels of wireless radiation in the environment under the auspices of H.R. 3557: American Broadband Deployment Act of 2023. There are many reasons that we the public and our local authorities must tell Congress this and related bills are unacceptable!

As farmers, we feel these various legislation’s would encourage wireless radiation in agriculture, which depends on pollinators. As Members of a CSA, we trust you understand the importance of pollinators. All of the vegetables we grow for you depend on pollinator insects – bees, wasps, and butterflies. (This was one of the reasons for our decision to “opt out” of all “smart meters” on our property.) Fully three-quarters of our crops depend on pollinators to some extent, but only one-third of global crop production does. This is because many of the largest producing crops (staples such as cereals) are not dependent on them at all. WE like to eat vegetables from A to Z.

But let me get more “into the weeds” of these bills being written by the telecom industry lobbyists. Their entire construct is designed to strip all power from public, state, and local representatives as well as the general public (YOU) with regard to all meaningful discretion or choice on the placement, operation, and oversight of the telecom facility. Additionally, they want dispute settlements to be taken from the Federal Court and given to the FCC. The FCC which is fully captured by the telecom industry under BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES.

Telecom is NOT a public utility–it is a Common Carrier. Wireless is a commercial facility, but HR3557 (in particular) gets rid of restrictions in an attempt to make it a public utility. These bills speak to private wireless service, public wireless service, wired, and cable as well as all permits including land use permits, building permits, and all safety requirements. These bills are designed to swamp the local jurisdictions (City Council, County Commissioners, etc. with what they need to do under the Open Meeting Act) to benefit the telecom industry. In other words, things get technical and full of legality really quick.

Additionally, these bills represent an attempt of significant violations by the telecom industry of the Commerce Clause, Separation of Powers, and CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS of First, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Fourteenth Amendments!!

This battle is not hopeless! The public votes!! Everyone just needs to communicate with the House and Senate Congressmen we elected into office in order to defeat these deceptive bills–because right now they are only hearing from the telecom industry lobbyists. Please share this legal challenge with others!

For Fact Sheets go here. To see the status of legislation visit Congress.gov . You can also find NC Senators and Representatives here under “Contact Him” for email and/or snail mail. The main Capitol Switchboard Numbers are Senate: 202-224-3121 and House: 202-225-3121. Please do some research and “make yourself a bother” to your representatives to stop the telecom industry.

Respectfully,

Blueberry bushes in the fall at sunset . . .