This is very exciting to me, and I wanted to share this on a forum where it could be viewed and addressed by interested parties.
The bill is sponsored by John Conyers (D) Michigan, and has 17 co-sponsors. And it addresses CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybees, as well as N. American Pollinator decline in general, and the devastating ramifications, should these pollinator populations completely collapse.
Here is an interesting fact I didn't yet know--Remember when CCD first hit the air waves and it was reported that we were losing a staggering 30 percent of our honey bee colonies every year? According to this bill, that percentage is now up to 45.1 percent.
This bill is asking for a temporary ban on Neonicotinoid pesticides, similar to the ban imposed in the European Union earlier this year.
Here is a large part of the text of the bill from Thomas.gov:
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to take certain actions related to pesticides that may affect pollinators, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2013'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
(1) Pollination services are a vital part of agricultural production, valued at over $125,000,000,000 globally and worth $20,000,000,000 to $30,000,000,000 in agricultural production annually in the United States.
(2) One-third of food produced in North America depends on pollination by honey bees, including nearly 95 varieties of fruits such as almonds, avocados, cranberries, and apples.
(3) Over the past several years, documented incidents of colony collapse disorder have been at a record high, with some beekeepers repeatedly losing 100 percent of their operations.
(4) During the winter beginning in 2012 and ending in 2013, United States beekeepers, on average, lost 45.1 percent of the colonies they operate.
(5) According to scientists of the Department of Agriculture, current estimates of the survivorship of honey bee colonies show they are too low to be able to meet the pollination demands of United States agricultural crops.
(6) Scientists have linked the use of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides to the rapid decline of pollinators and to the deterioration of pollinator health.
(7) Neonicotinoids cause sublethal effects including impaired foraging and feeding behavior, disorientation, weakened immunity, delayed larval development, and increased susceptibility to viruses, diseases, and parasites and numerous studies have also demonstrated acute, lethal effects from the application of neonicotinoid insecticides.
(8) Recent science has demonstrated that a single corn kernel coated with a neonicotinoid is toxic enough to kill a songbird.
(9) In June 2013, over 50,000 bumblebees were killed as a direct result of exposure to a neonicotinoid applied to Linden trees for cosmetic purposes.
(10) In January 2013, the European Food Safety Authority determined that the most widely used neonicotinoids pose unacceptable hazards to bees, prompting the European Union to suspend their use on agricultural crops.
SEC. 3. URGENT REGULATORY RESPONSE FOR HONEY BEE AND POLLINATOR PROTECTION.
(a) In General- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall suspend the registration of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, dinotafuran, and any other members of the nitro group of neonicotinoid insecticides to the extent such insecticide is registered, conditionally or otherwise, under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.) for use in seed treatment, soil application, or foliar treatment on bee attractive plants, trees, and cereals until the Administrator has made a determination that such insecticide will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators based on--
(1) an evaluation of the published and peer-reviewed scientific evidence on whether the use or uses of such neonicotinoids cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators, including native bees, honey bees, birds, bats, and other species of beneficial insects; and
(2) a completed field study that meets the criteria required by the Administrator and evaluates residues, including residue build-up after repeated annual application, chronic low-dose exposure, cumulative effects of multiple chemical exposures, and any other protocol determined to be necessary by the Administrator to protect managed and native pollinators.
(b) Conditions on Certain Pesticides Registrations- Notwithstanding section 3 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136a), for purposes of the protection of honey bees, other pollinators, and beneficial insects, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall not issue any new registrations, conditional or otherwise, for any seed treatment, soil application, and foliar treatment on bee attractive plants, trees, and cereals under such Act until the Administrator has made the determination described in subsection (a), based on an evaluation described in subsection (a)(1) and a completed field study described in subsection (a)(2), with respect to such insecticide.
(c) Monitoring of Native Bees- The Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall, for purposes of protecting and ensuring the long-term viability of native bees and other pollinators of agricultural crops, horticultural plants, wild plants, and other plants--
(1) regularly monitor the health and population status of native bees, including the status of native bees in agricultural and non-agricultural habitats and areas of ornamental plants, residential areas, and landscaped areas;
(2) identify the scope and likely causes of unusual native bee mortality; and
(3) beginning not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and each year thereafter, submit to Congress, and make available to the public, a report on such health and population status.
_________________________
Colony Collapse Disorder started in the 1990s, even though much of the mainstream press erroneously repeats that it started in 2006/2007. 2006/2007 is when CCD peaked, because the honeybee colony losses were so widespread that the world could no longer ignore this terrifying phenomenon.
Neonicotinoid pesticides are particularly dangerous to pollinators because these chemicals are taken up into the plant and expressed through pollen and nectar and guttation. That means that any insect or animal that sips nectar or eats pollen is getting a dose of poison with every bit of pollen or nectar consumed. This class of chemicals persists in the soil and spreads to other plants in the treated area, insuring that whatever plants honey bees or any pollinator visit in that area become a source of constant poison. The pollinators simply cannot escape this poison. At low levels of chronic exposure it has mild effects on learning and behavior but most importantly suppresses the immune system of the organism making it more susceptible to pathogens and parasites. Higher doses such as the cloud of contaminated talc blown out the back of seed planting machines kills instantly or poisons the organism to such a degree that brain function is severely impaired so that in the case of honey bees, bees cannot find their way back to their colony. They die of exposure in the field, while their hive starves to death due to a lack of food. This is why beekeepers find a hive with only a Queen and brood and a few nurse bees, starving or starved to death, minus 40,000 other workers who died in the field because of memory impairment.
If this concerns you as a citizen, please write your Congressman and let them know that we need to do all we can to preserve our pollinators, wild and domestic, in order to help provide food security for ourselves and our trade partners.
I personally hope that our legislators Ban the NeoNicotinoid family of pesticides, altogether permanently.
Sun Aug 18, 2013 at 4:57 PM PT: The bill has no gone to the House Committee on Agriculture
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/...