A New York man filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that God commanded him to do so.
Tioga County resident David J. Forjan filed the suit in the Northern District of New York.
In the complaint, Forjan claims that he was anointed by God to save the Earth, primarily by suing the EPA to stop the use of pesticides. God, allegedly speaking through Forjan, claim that Forjan and his dog, Annie, are constantly exposed to pesticide residue in the air they breathe, water they drink and the food they eat.
“Father says, your Honor, all of my children and some of yours are being endangered and killed because their food all around them is poisoned. Father says, your Honor, we must stop allowing the use of pesticides. Father says, your Honor, pesticides are poisons,” Forjan quotes God in the complaint.
The suit claims that God finds the use of pesticides, especially chlorpyrifos, to be “abominable,” and that its continued use shows an “egregious disregard” for the health of humans and the environment.
Chlorpyrifos has been linked to brain damage and autism in children. A group of labor and civil organizations sued to get the chemical banned. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the EPA to ban chlorpyrifos, but the EPA appealed. The court eventually left the decision to ban the chemical to the EPA. In July, the EPA decided it would not ban chlorpyrifos.
Forjan claims that God wants the EPA to stop issuing new registrations and permits for pesticide use and cancel and void any existing permits.
Federal records show Forjan in 2005 sued the owners of a cheese manufacturing plant in Waverly, New York, for an emission of chlorine gas that injured his respiratory system. The case was eventually dismissed.