Corrections and Clarifications: Bioprospecting: Lawsuit targets Yellowstone bug deal
Pennisi E. 1998. Corrections and Clarifications: Bioprospecting: Lawsuit targets Yellowstone bug deal. Science. 280(5366):1624
Three nonprofit groups have filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS) to stop a biotech firm collecting microbes from Yellowstone National Park's hot springs. The Edmonds Institute, the International Center for Technology Assessment, and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies question the legality of an arrangement that enables San Diego-based Diversa to take microbe samples in exchange for giving the NPS a share of profits from any products derived from the bugs. The organizations contend that the plan violates the Federal Technology Transfer Act, which restricts such commercial joint ventures to government labs. They also allege that it violates laws requiring national parks to be preserved in an unspoiled state and mandating environmental impact assessments on proposed projects in parks. Yellowstone managers have responded that the joint venture could raise cash needed to safeguard the park's rich biodiversity.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Pennisi, Elizabeth
- Units
- YELL
- Keywords
- bioprospecting, Laws and Legislation, Management, Microbiology