US Congress Members Ask Marco Rubio Not to Support Aerial Spraying in Colombia
The Government of Colombia has taken two important steps toward resuming aerial spraying to combat illicit crops: repealing the resolution that prohibited this method and preparing a pilot plan to test ammonium glufosinate, also from the air. The administration of Abelardo de la Espriella is pursuing this strategy because it considers that forced manual eradication […]
A bipartisan group of 19 U.S. Congress members penned a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to refrain from offering financial or logistical assistance for the reestablishment of aerial spraying of coca crops in Colombia. The lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal, voiced concern over reports that the Trump administration had encouraged Colombia to resume this eradication method.
They expressed worry over potential health and environmental impacts, as well as the strategy's historical ineffectiveness in diminishing illicit crops over the long term. Colombia's Constitutional Court had previously imposed stringent requirements for any resumption of aerial spraying, including environmental assessments, community consultation, and the use of the substance as a last resort.
The Congress members noted that glyphosate, the primary chemical used, had been classified as "probably carcinogenic" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2015, leading to its ban within the European Union in 2018. Additionally, they criticized the U.S. decision to dismantle the USAID agency, which had funded alternative development programs in the Colombian Amazon, such as sustainable agroforestry, ecotourism, and environmental crime prevention.
The lawmakers also demanded that the State Department account for its involvement in the potential resumption of aerial spraying by November 13, answering questions regarding any promotion of the program, financial or logistical commitments, and the suitability of ammonium glufosinate for use in the Amazon region.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
