Earthjustice Statement on the Farm “Harm” Bill

Earthjustice argues that the U.S. House Farm Bill (H.R. 2) contained 'poison pill' provisions that threatened water quality, old-growth forests, endangered species, and climate adaptation efforts, while restricting public access to justice.

• The Farm Bill (H.R. 2) contained several provisions that Earthjustice describes as attacks on environmental and public health, including the repeal of the Clean Water Rule and the reduction of Clean Water Act protections for pesticides sprayed into water supplies.
• The legislation sought to increase logging in the Tongass and Chugach National Forests by removing them from the 2001 Roadless Areas and by limiting public participation and environmental reviews.
• The bill included measures to weaken the Endangered Species Act by exempting approved pesticide use from enforcement and limiting the government's ability to assess pesticide effects on pollinators.
• The bill is criticized for climate change denial by reducing funding for and discouraging farming and ranching practices that help land survive extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and heat waves.
• The 'King Amendment' within the bill would have removed state law protections for agricultural products and the public's right to enforce those protections in state courts, while expanding judicial rights for industry.

APA

Hayden, M. (2018). Earthjustice Statement on the Farm “Harm” Bill. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/press/2018/earthjustice-statement-on-the-farm-harm-bill

Chicago

Hayden, Martin. Earthjustice Statement on the Farm “Harm” Bill. Earthjustice, 2018. https://earthjustice.org/press/2018/earthjustice-statement-on-the-farm-harm-bill.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Hayden |first1=Martin |title=Earthjustice Statement on the Farm “Harm” Bill |publisher=Earthjustice |date=18 May 2018 |url=https://earthjustice.org/press/2018/earthjustice-statement-on-the-farm-harm-bill |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{hayden2018earthjustice, author = {Hayden, Martin}, title = {{Earthjustice Statement on the Farm “Harm” Bill}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://earthjustice.org/press/2018/earthjustice-statement-on-the-farm-harm-bill}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }