Environmental applications of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have received unprecedented inspection and evaluation. In recent decades, public valuation of the environment has increased, and public perceptions of the environmental impacts of agricultural technologies have changed. Agricultural technologies, which at one time escaped broad public consideration, now receive intense public scrutiny because of their potential adverse environmental effects. For instance, pesticides, sub-soil drainage, fertilizers, and the Green Revolution have been examined with increasing intensity, and GMOs are the most recent agricultural technology to attract public criticism in their evolving attitudes toward the environment. However, the breadth of the ongoing public discourse concerning GMOs is unprecedented in scope and timing. This is the first time that human health, environmental, and socio-economic considerations have been brought to bear in evaluating a technological innovation prior to commercialization.