What are the legal precedents for local action?
According to the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, local measures to restrict the use of GMOs are generally on a sound legal footing: * Local rights of self-governance and protection of health, safety and well-being are guaranteed by most state constitutions. Local governments are free to be more protective of their citizens and unique communities than lowest-common-denominator state laws can provide. * The federal government does not have specific mandatory safety testing requirements for most GE crops, instead allowing companies to voluntarily determine what tests are needed; also there is virtually no monitoring of commercial GE crops for persistent hazards. * No state has yet enacted comprehensive regulations governing GE crops and livestock that protect public health and the environment. Historically, American custom and tradition has granted local communities considerable autonomy. Local sovereignty has its foundation in the Town Meetings of colonial New England. While som
