Monsanto, a giant in the genetically modified food business, may be granted a privilege that any corporation would envy: regulating its own products.

The USDA’s National Environmental Policy Act Pilot Project will allow Monsanto and other biotech companies to run their own environmental impact studies, effectively trusting the companies to police themselves.

The plan is particularly controversial because Monsanto has a long history of manufacturing toxic chemicals (like Agent Orange and Roundup) and genetically modified crops with potentially dangerous effects. It’s also the producer of bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which is banned in Europe and Canada. Monsanto’s business practices have been called into question by an array of watchdogs and nonprofit organizations. –KDG