A press release fromPesticide Action Network North America
Good news! Representatives John Conyers (D-MI) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) stepped up for bees. The “Save America’s Pollinators Act” requires EPA to pull bee-toxic neonicotinoid pesticides from the market until their safety is proven.
This is the fighting chance our honey bees need.
Support is critical. Scientists tell us that “neonics” are a key contributing factor to dramatic bee die-offs. Yet these insecticides continue to be widely used, and EPA says it won’t take action until after 2018. It’s time for Congress to get in the ring! Urge your Representative to support this bill today.
Bees continue dying off in droves, with beekeepers reporting losses this past season of 40-70%. And two weeks ago, 50,000 bumblebees dropped dead in a parking lot in Oregon from exposure to neonics.
Save the bees! Policymakers in Europe are already following the science. They passed a two year ban on several of the most commonly used neonics this past spring, and just this week added another bee-harming pesticide to their restricted list. It’s long past time for the U.S. to take similarly decisive action to protect bees.
The Save America’s Pollinators Act (H.R. 2692) seeks to do precisely that. This bill would suspend the use of neonics until a full review of scientific evidence — plus field studies — demonstrate no harmful impacts to pollinators. Until then, these chemicals would be off the shelf.
In North America, honey bees pollinate nearly 95 kinds of fruits, from almonds to avocados, cranberries to apples. We rely on them for the food we eat every day. And they urgently need our help!
Thank you for taking action!
