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u.s. news Dialuna 6 Juni 2022

Abbott restarts baby formula plant linked to contamination

By MATTHEW PER- three weeks before new for- only source of many of those
RONE mula from the plant begins products, providing nutrition
AP Health Writer getting to consumers. to about 5,000 U.S. babies,
WASHINGTON (AP) — “We will ramp production according to federal officials.
Abbott Nutrition has re- as quickly as we can while Abbott is one of just four
started production at the meeting all requirements,” companies that produce
Michigan baby formula Abbott said in a statement. about 90% of U.S. formula.
factory that has been The plant’s reopening is one The company’s recalls and
closed for months due to of several federal actions shutdown triggered a cascade
contamination, the com- that are expected to improve of effects: Retailers have lim-
pany said Saturday, taking supplies in the weeks ahead. ited customer purchasing to
a step toward easing a na- President Joe Biden’s admin- conserve supplies and par-
tionwide supply shortage istration has eased import ents have been told to switch
expected to persist into rules for foreign manufac- brands to whatever formula
the summer. turers, airlifted formula from is in stock.
Europe and invoked federal FDA Commissioner Robert
The February shutdown of emergency rules to prioritize Califf recently told lawmak-
the largest formula factory in U.S. production. ent bacterial strains. problems were fixed. ers it could be about two
the country led to the supply Abbott closed the Sturgis, FDA inspectors eventually Abbott’s February recall of months before formula sup-
problems that have forced Michigan, factory in Febru- uncovered a host of viola- several leading brands, in- plies return to normal levels.
some parents to seek formula ary after the Food and Drug tions at the plant, including cluding Similac, squeezed The agency has waived many
from food banks, friends and Administration began inves- bacterial contamination, a supplies that had already been of its regulatory requirements
doctor’s offices. tigating four bacterial infec- leaky roof and lax safety pro- strained by supply chain dis- to accept more formula from
Abbott said it initially will tions among infants who tocols. The FDA has faced ruptions and stockpiling dur- the United Kingdom, Aus-
prioritize production of its consumed powdered for- intense scrutiny for taking ing COVID-19 shutdowns. tralia and other nations.
EleCare specialty formulas mula from the plant. Two of months to close the plant and The shortage has been most U.S. manufacturers, includ-
for infants with severe food the babies died. The com- then negotiate its reopening. dire for children with aller- ing Reckitt and Gerber, have
allergies and digestive prob- pany continues to state that Agency leaders recently told gies, digestive problems and also stepped up production,
lems who have few other op- its products have not been Congress they had to enter metabolic disorders who running plants 24/7 and
tions for nutrition. The com- directly linked to the infec- a legally binding agreement rely on specialty formulas. sourcing more formula from
pany said it will take about tions, which involved differ- with Abbott to assure all the The Abbott factory is the alternate facilities.q

Agency ruling delivers big setback to Okefenokee mining plan

By RUSS BYNUM sidestep regulations to pre- the Okefenokee since he The Okefenokee National 2019, the Fish and Wildlife
Associated Press vent pollution of streams or took office last year, called Wildlife Refuge covers near- Service wrote that the pro-
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) draining of wetlands. the decision a major victory. ly 630 square miles (1,630 posed mine could pose “sub-
— A federal agency has Michael Connor, the assis- “I am pleased to announce square kilometers) in south- stantial risks” to the swamp,
delivered a big setback to tant Army secretary for civil the restoration of protection east Georgia and is home to including its ability to hold
a company’s controver- works, said in the Friday for this wildlife refuge and its alligators, bald eagles and water. Some impacts, it said,
sial plan to mine near the memo that prior decisions surrounding wetlands,” Os- other protected species. The “may not be able to be re-
edge of the Okefenokee waiving the Army Corps’ ju- soff said in a statement late swamp’s wildlife, cypress versed, repaired, or mitigated
Swamp and its vast wild- risdiction over the Georgia Friday. “The Okefenokee forests and flooded prairies for.”
life refuge. mining plan and another pro- is a natural wonder and one draw roughly 600,000 visi- Conservation groups cheered
posed mine outside Tucson, of Georgia’s most precious tors each year, according to the federal government’s de-
A government memo said Arizona, had been reversed. lands. I will continue fighting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife cision.
Friday that the Army Corps Connor wrote that both to protect it for future gen- Service, which manages the “Mining on the doorstep
of Engineers is reasserting projects would have to start erations.” refuge. of a rare ecological treasure
jurisdiction over Twin Pines over with new applications Alabama-based Twin Pines Two decades ago, chemi- like Georgia’s Okefeno-
Minerals’ proposal to mine for federal permits. He said had been awaiting a permit- cal giant DuPont retreated kee Swamp defies common
minerals just outside the the prior decisions allowing ting decision by Georgia’s from plans to mine outside sense,” Kelly Moser, an at-
Okefenokee, home to the them to bypass federal regu- Environmental Protection the Okefenokee after meet- torney for the Southern En-
largest U.S. wildlife refuge lators “are not valid” because Division, the sole regulator ing fierce resistance. Twin vironmental Law Center
east of the Mississippi River. tribal governments with an- with oversight over the proj- Pines wants permits to mine who specializes in clean wa-
Scientists have warned that cestral ties to the proposed ect before the federal gov- a small fraction of the acre- ter issues, said in a statement.
mining close to the swamp’s mining sites had not been ernment’s Friday decision, age DuPont pursued. Ingle “And we are thrilled that
bowl-like rim could damage consulted. which restores the Army has insisted his company can this announcement removes
its ability to hold water. They The Twin Pines project in Corps regulatory authority mine the site without harm- the threat to hundreds of
urged the Army Corps of Georgia will require consul- over 556 acres (225 hectares) ing the swamp. acres of critically important
Engineers to deny the proj- tation with the Muscogee of wetlands in the proposed Government scientists have wetlands.”q
ect a permit. But the agency Creek Nation before it can mining area. been skeptical. In February
declared in 2020 it no longer move forward, the memo
had that authority after regu- said.
latory rollbacks under then- “We have said from the day
President Donald Trump we announced our plans that
narrowed the types of water- we would follow the regula-
ways qualifying for protec- tions before us at any given
tion under the Clean Water time,” Steve Ingle, president
Act. of Twin Pines, said in a state-
Trump’s rollbacks were later ment. He added: “We intend
scrapped by federal courts. to move forward with our
President Joe Biden’s admin- application and fulfill all re-
istration has sought to restore quirements.”
federal oversight of devel- U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Geor-
opment projects that under gia Democrat who has fought
Trump had been allowed to the proposed mine outside