You are a member of the staff of a state legislator who was the chair of the technology committee. You've been meeting with representatives of several companies that engage in genetic engineering research and the production of genetically engineered products. In particular one of the companies wants to begin testing a manufactured virus that it claims will lower the freezing point of a fine picked orangein order to preserve the oranges from deadly frosts.

Assume that at present there is no state or federal regulation of bioengineered products (unless they are food or drugs). The technology is obviously dangerous and there is a lot of community resistance to the proposed tests because of a concern that the virus might spread and cause all sorts of environmental problems or health problems for those that eat the food. Get the benefit to mankind and to manufacturing companies of a successful product would be enormous.

Issue

Is this an area in which they should be regulation?

Should there be a new agency to deal with the problem?

What powers should the agency have?