People's Vanguard of - Did Congressman Lungren Ignore Potential National

[Guest guest]

People's Vanguard of - " Did Congressman Lungren Ignore

Potential National Security "

Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco,CA*

by Repost

Sunday Oct 26th, 2008

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/10/26/18546751.php

The Vanguard raised questions about the environmental impact at the

Kennedy Place location for AgraQuest.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008

Did Congressman Lungren Ignore Potential National Security Threat

Posed by AgraQuest's Importation of Foreign Soils?

Listen to Vanguard Radio tonight from 6 to 7 on KDRT 95.7 FM for

more on this topic. Our guests will include Sandi Trend, mother of

Bell and Doug Haney. Bell is scheduled to call in from

Texas at 6:30. You can listen live on the internet by clicking here.

Callers are encouraged to ask questions: 530.792.1648.

Last week, the Sacramento News and Review reported that an AgraQuest

worker Bell contracted a series of respiratory infections

during his time working for the company in 1999. Now nearly nine

years later, he continues to suffer from the debilitating illness.

The Vanguard raised questions about the environmental impact at the

Kennedy Place location for AgraQuest. Questions were most

specifically brought forth from Mr. Bell himself who informed the

Vanguard that as an employee of AgraQuest he was told to dispose of

waste material on a concrete culvert. The Vanguard also showed

photographic evidence taken from several years later that suggests

the possibility of contamination of the outside worksite.

In a follow up interview with Bell, he warned us that the

ventilation system at the 1105 Kennedy Place office building needs

to be fully investigated as well due to the activities that took

place in the building and the possibility that microbes ended up in

the ventilation system.

During the course of the investigation into both Mr. Bell's health

and the workplace conditions, the Vanguard has learned that

AgraQuest may have been shipping soil and other biological samples

into the United States on commercial flights without proper

licenses. Moreover, Bell reports that employees at AgraQuest

at the time of his employment bragged about sneaking a green

suitcase full of dirt past U.S. customs on a flight from Chile.

Doug Haney, an advocate for human and patients' rights, who

specializes in mold and microbe exposure, reported this to

Congressman Dan Lungren in November of 2007 during a meeting with

Gold River Field Office Staffers andria Snyder and

Panos. Congressman Lungren (R-CA) is the ranking Republican member

on the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland

Security. Interestingly enough, in 2006 he co-authored the SAFE Act

(Security and Freedom Enhancement Act) with Congresswoman Jane

Harman (D-CA), a bill that was designed to improve security at U.S.

ports.

Despite warnings about the possible implications from such lax

customs handling in our war on terrorism, it appears at least from

Mr. Haney's viewpoint that neither Congressman Lungren nor his staff

followed through on these warnings.

AGRAQUEST BUSINESS POLICIES

There is a lengthy public record on AgraQuest's practice of

importing soils and other biological agents into the United States

from across the globe. In fact it is noted as a point of pride in

the articles written about AgraQuest over the course of the past ten

years.

As early as 1997, a Sacramento Bee article entitled, " AgraQuest

Growing Its Own Success, " reports that:

" They'll check out new samples of soils or plant roots or lichen

arriving from across the globe. "

In 2002, on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, the announcer

reported that AgraQuest had gathered up to 20,000 samples of various

soils and other biological samples.

" What they're looking for are microorganisms that secrete naturally

occurring pesticides. To find them, over the past seven years they

have gathered some 20,000 samples, like this dirt and some bits of

leaves Marrone finds in an old stump here. Each sample usually

contains many different types of microbes, which are grown up in the

lab and tested. "

The Wall Street Journal in 2005 reported:

" While many biopesticide makers tinker with microbes discovered on

university campuses, AgraQuest is unusual because it searches fields

and jungles for new compounds, often finding them in dead bugs. It's

painstaking work... Over the past decade, Dr. Marrone estimates

she's screened some 23,000 suspects. Tanks and storage boxes filled

with rotting vermin line the hallways at AgraQuest's headquarters. "

This particular article describes trips that AgraQuest's researchers

take from around the world noting Honduras, Mexico, and other exotic

locations.

What these articles do not discuss of course is how they got these

samples into the country in those early days and whether or not they

did so legally.

Bell, who is now suffering from a string of respiratory

illnesses that he believes stem from his work at AgraQuest became

curious around 2004 or 2005 when he heard a story about a man

arrested by agents at APHIS for illegally smuggling soil into the

country.

APHIS is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Their

primary work is to defend America's animal and plant resources from

agricultural pests and diseases. However, they also serve as a sort

of regulatory agency which controls the animal, plant, disease, and

soil specimens that come into the United States.

In order for companies to import such things as soil, pathogens, and

microbes, they must be licensed by APHIS.

But according to Bell, AgraQuest was not licensed in 1999 when

he worked there.

" I called them [APHIS] up and asked them. "

He continues:

" They told me they had no permit on file, that they would be

contacting that company. "

In fact, according to Mr. Bell, no APHIS permit shows up at

AgraQuest until 2003 or 2004--a full six or seven years after they

were reporting to have received soils from around the world in the

Sacramento Bee article.

" Somewhere around there then a valid permit finally shows up in the

record. "

And yet Mr. Bell became aware in 1999 - at least four years before

APHIS claims that AgraQuest had a valid license - that workers

claimed they had smuggled soil into the country. In fact, the

workers bragged about it.

How did Bell find out?

" I asked them what the hell the green suitcase was for when they

were unpacking the dirt out of it and that's when they were laughing

about how they got it into the country. "

So they told him.

" Usually they would take off on a company business trip and come

back with it [soil] in a suitcase. They would check luggage full of

dirt, soil. "

Again, at this time, AgraQuest apparently did not have a license to

do this according to APHIS. Moreover, they were able to basically

sneak it past customs agents, at least according to what

Bell's co-worker Flannigan told him in 1999.

Doug Haney:

" While [] was [at Agraquest], a Flannigan had brought

in a suitcase of soils that he had obtained in a foreign country. At

that time, I did not know what the countries were, nor did I know

what the soils were, nor did I know what the microbes were, nor did

anyone else know what the microbes were that were in the soils,

because indicated that Mr. Flannigan had told everyone, and

was bragging to everyone, that he had taken those soils, on a

commercial airplane, into the United States, over the border, and

bypassed the inspectors. This is a clear violation of licensure - if

there is no licensure - and laws pertaining to insects, plant life,

and microbes. "

Mr. Bell also described the contents of the soils based on his

knowledge of the soils that he had examined:

" It could clearly have any kind of pathogens. Dirt and soil is a

very dirty thing, especially when you are purposefully taking dirt

with animal feces on purpose. Yeah, God knows what could have been

in it, to be honest. Only AgraQuest knows that answer. "

Where did the shipment come from?

" That particular time I believe it was coming from Chile. "

There was another time apparently when their trip did not work out

quite as well.

" I remember when they (co-workers at AgraQuest) went over to

England, they were extremely pissed off due to heightened security

having to take their shoes off, they couldn't smuggle any dirt on

that trip. They were very disappointed about that, that was right

about when that hoof and mouth disease was going on and they were

making people disinfect their shoes. They were really disappointed

that they couldn't bring the usual suitcase full of garbage back. "

TERRORISM CONCERNS ARISE

The idea that a company such as AgraQuest could simply slip soil and

other potential biological agents containing microbes from around

the world is alarming for those who might fear the United States'

susceptibility to a biological attack.

This apparently is not a situation that simply ended with 9/11 and

its tighter security measures.

" There was a gentleman coming in from Texas, who was detained at the

airport for smuggling soils across federal lines. "

Mr. Haney continued:

" That person was arrested, charged, and now [has] legal

ramifications from that aspect. "

But as Mr. Haney pointed out later in our interview, if that

individual was caught smuggling at that time, you know that it

probably was not the first time he tried to do so and you also know

that others can do so or have tried as well. The difficulty in

preventing the smuggling of a small bag of soil into this country -

not to mention many other substances - that have the potential to be

health threats is quite high.

Mr. Haney was alarmed.

" I felt with 21 years-plus of molecular sciences, there was a real

gap of transfer of microbes into the United States, into

laboratories and genetically modifying them, that there is a real

possibility with terrorists taking those microbes, genetically

linking those microbes, and creating a hybrid that could destroy a

city very easily through disease... "

CONGRESSMAN DAN LUNGREN

As the result of these concerns, Mr. Haney contacted Congressman Dan

Lungren. Congressman Dan Lungren is the ranking member on the House

Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. In 2006 he

co-authored the SAFE Act with Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA), a

bill that was designed to improve security at U.S. ports. Clearly

this should have been an issue of interest to Congressman Lungren.

In November of 2007, Doug Haney, Sandi Trend, and several of their

associates attended Dan Lungren's townhall meeting in Folsom,

California. Several of them raised the AgraQuest issue during the

course of the townhall meeting.

A few weeks prior to the townhall meeting Mr. Haney went about

trying to set up a meeting with Congressman Lungren.

" I had called a couple of times to [Dan Lungren's] staff asking if

we could have a meeting with him away from the presentation to

inform him of what was going on at AgraQuest--the actual bringing in

illegally, of the microbes, into the United States... "

Mr. Haney then met with andra Snyder and Panos in

Congressman Lungren's field office.

" I agreed to meet with Dan's [Lungren] staffer, andra, the head

of his staff in [Lungren's field office]. "

What did he talk to them about?

" I brought papers in and I discussed it at length with her, knowing

at that point that Congressman Lungren was the [ranking member] of

the Subcommittee on Homeland Security. I talked to her as to how

someone could come across the borders, illegally bring in soils on

commercial planes, and if they know anything about genetics... they

could actually cause a hybrid that could cause major damage,

illness, and death... "

He continued:

" We gave them documentation because we wanted to keep this low key

as to not really put a scare into the community to get something

done about it without tipping off foreign countries as to how

dangerous this really could be. "

At that time they promised to look into the situation, but according

to Mr. Haney, " nothing " came of this meeting.

" I tried to contact andra Snyder - a couple of times- months

later. The instructions coming out of the meeting were that I would

be contacted if my assistance was needed or just to find out more

information. "

But he heard nothing again.

" I tried to call about three or four months later because I had not

heard anything from them, to check up and do another review of it.

From that point on there was no contact whatsoever with Dan Lungren.

So as far as health and safety, as far as national security

involvement, I have heard absolutely nothing. "

Moreover:

" Bottom line is because nothing is happening. A logical thing is

that if you have a real loophole in something as vital to America as

homeland security and you see that it has immediate ramifications

you first would investigate it to find out how true it is... "

But again, nothing came of this meeting and Ms. Snyder never

returned Mr. Haney's calls.

The Vanguard made several attempts to speak with andra Snyder

before talking to the media spokesperson in Dan Lungren's

Congressional office. Unfortunately, we have not heard back from

them at the time of press, however, we will add their response if

and when we receive it.

SUMMARY COMMENTS

It is worth noting that on Congressman Lungren's campaign website

they talk about his record on issues of terrorism and national

security:

" Two years ago, Congressman Lungren authored the Safe Port Act of

2006, which received widespread bi-partisan support and was

ultimately signed into law. This law represented a significant step

forward in strengthening our national security from terrorists, but

it was just a start. As a member of the House Committee on Homeland

Security, Congressman Lungren has continued working with both

Democrats and Republicans to strengthen our borders and pursue

terrorists wherever they hide. "

It is unfortunate that the Congressman did not take a more proactive

stance on what could really represent a serious threat to national

security. When the terrorists of 9/11 attacked the United States

they did not use conventional weaponry. Instead they were able to

turn commercial aircraft into bombs.

What AgraQuest was allegedly doing was importing microbes into the

United States through soil. That represents a potential threat on a

number of levels. First, if they can slip soil into our country,

others can do it. Second, if they can slip soil into our country,

others can likely slip other things into our country. Are we really

prepared for the level of ingenuity the next terrorist attack may

take the form of? We were not prepared despite intelligence reports

for 9/11. We worry about all sorts of things to do with national

security and yet, when we see a glaring hole in our customs system,

the first line of defense against a potential biological attack, it

appears that our elected officials have done very little.

The Congressman can brag all he wants about working across party

lines on strengthening our borders, but it appears he let a big

potential issue slip right past him without adequate inquiry. That

is a concern.

From the standpoint of it is also a concern that AgraQuest,

who apparently (stress on apparently) had no license during their

early years was slipping foreign species of microbes into our

community and then doing a number of genetic engineering and other

manipulations on these microbes. All of this in the name of creating

so called organic pesticides. Perhaps we ought to re-think what we

call organic.

In the meantime, we remain concerned not only about the health of

Bell but the safety for our community and apparently for our

nation. It is our hope that responsible leaders will look at this

situation anew and plug whatever holes they need to in order to

insure better security.

--- M. Greenwald reporting

POSTED BY DAVID M. GREENWALD AT 5:22 AM

LABELS: AGRAQUEST, DAN LUNGREN, DAVID BELL

http://davisvanguard.blogspot.com/2008/10/...