Friends,

Please Stop What You Are Currently Doing, We Need Your Help Right Now!

Have you heard of the DARK ACT? The U.S. House of Representatives passed HB 1599, “the Dark Act” right before the break. Now the bill may be moving forward to the U.S. Senate in the coming weeks, possibility introduced by Senator John Hoeven (R – ND).

What is the Dark ACT? It has been dubbed “The Dark Act” because IT WOULD TAKE AWAY STATES’ RIGHTS to:

• Label foods made with GMO’s,
• Protect Farmers from genetic contamination, and,
• Regulate GMO’s to protect human health or the environment.

Pre-empting states’ rights is a dangerous precedence and could affect other legislation in the future!

It would also allow the word “Natural” to be used alongside GMOs, even though they are patented!

It would also strip the FDA’s power to:

• Acknowledge the difference between GMOs and normal foods, including food safety risks of GMOs,
• Conduct systematic pre-market safety assessments of GMOs, and,
• Require labels on GMOs.

It would put labeling standards into the hands of the USDA which would be a watered down labeling law that would require fewer standards than the GMO Verified Project.

The time to take action is now! Right To Know Colorado is asking for a few minutes of your time to reach out and call our Senators Today! Please don’t put this off! We need to inundate them with phone calls to all of their state offices over next few days (Sept 2, 3, and 4) before they go back to Washington, and then again with phone calls to their Washington offices the beginning of next week (Sept 8, 9, and 10) . We need our voices (YOURS!) to be heard loud and clear.

We have created a phone script as an outline for you to use to call your Senators. Please call one or more of the offices and pleasantly but firmly read the script using your words and language. Please don’t be rude or challenging. Simply deliver your message and say “Thank you and please let my senator how I feel about this issue”.

Script:

“Hello. I strongly want to know what is in the food I buy and feed my family. That is why I support the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Unfortunately, some Members of Congress want to keep me in the dark by preempting state labeling laws and preventing the FDA from ever requiring labeling. That is why I urge my Senator, Senator (Name), to oppose the “DARK Act,” the recently passed House Bill 1599, an industry-backed bill to block GMO labeling and preempt states’ rights.

Instead, I urge my Senator, Senator (Name), to support the mandatory labeling legislation introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer that would give all consumers the right to know what is in heir food while at the same time alleviating any concerns of a future state patchwork.

“Thank you and please let my senator how I feel about this issue and that I vote”.

For your convenience, we have included the Colorado Senators’ contact information.

Senator Michael Bennett’s Offices:

Denver Metro Office

1127 Sherman St., Suite 150

Denver, CO 80203

Phone: 303-455-7600

Toll Free: 866-455-9866

San Luis Valley Office

609 Main Street, Suite 110

Alamosa, CO 81101

Phone: 719-587-0096

North Central-High Plains Office

1200 South College Ave., Suite 211

Fort Collins, CO 80524

Phone: 970-224-2200

Four Corners Office

835 East 2nd Avenue, Suite 206

Durango, CO 81301

Phone: 970-259-1710

Arkansas Valley Office

129 West B Street

Pueblo, CO 81003

Phone: 719-542-7550

Pikes Peak Office

409 North Tejon St., Suite 107

Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Phone: 719-328-1100

Northwest/I-70W Office

225 North 5th Street, Suite 511

Grand Junction, CO 81501

Phone: 970-241-6631

Washington, D.C. Office

261 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Phone: 202-224-5852

Fax: 202-228-5097

Senator Cory Gardener’s Offices:

503 N. Main Street, Suite 426

Pueblo, CO 81003

Phone: (719) 543-1324

999 18th Street, Suite 1525

Denver, CO 80202

Phone: (303) 391-5777

4801 8th Street, Suite 140A

Greeley, CO 80631

Phone: (970) 352-5546

529 North Albany Street, Suite 1220

Yuma, CO 80759

Phone: (303) 391-5777

354 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone: (202) 224-5941

Fax: (202) 224-6524

The following 12 Democrats who have previously voted against states’ rights for GMO labeling in 2013 and may cosponsor or support the DARK Act, are listed below:

Sen. Amy Kobluchar (D- Minn) - (202-224- 3244)

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) - (202-224-3244)

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) - (202-224-2152)

Sen. Joe Donelly (D-Ind) – (202-224-4814)

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D- OH) – (202-224-2315)

Sen. Chris Coons (D- Del) – (220-224-5042)

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) - (202-224-6154)

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del) – (202-224- 2441)

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) – (202- 224- 4744)

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) – (202- 224- 5274)

Sens. Tim Kaine (D- VA) – (202-224- 4024)

Mark Warner (D- VA) – (202- 224- 2023)

Please feel free to call them as well.

Thank you for supporting this calling drive. We appreciate your efforts in continuing to work for healthy food for all!

Sincerely,

Right To Know Colorado