Should the government ban pesticides that harm bees?
Bill Summary
This bill aims to protect bees by creating a board to study the effects of various pesticides on bee populations. If the board, made up of scientists, beekeepers, and environmental activists, determines a pesticide is harmful to bees, it will be prohibited from continued sale. The bill also creates annual monitoring of native bee populations throughout the U.S.
Sponsor: Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, Oregon, District 3)
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Opponents say
• The bill would likely ban many neonicotinoid pesticides that are used by farmers. This could adversely impact their crop and success as they would lose access to a major pesticide. What’s more, neonicotinoid pesticides have been approved by the EPA, so banning them would negate this approval.
• With the creation of a board to continually monitor bee populations, the bill limits the EPA’s ability to regulate and give environmental activists a disproportionate amount of control over agriculture.
• “When you go out and you look at bees that have died or are suffering from maladies and you measure them for pesticides, you do see a lot of pesticides that they pick up and bring back to their hives… But there’s actually a shockingly low percentage of those pesticides that are neonicotinoids.” - David Tarpy, professor of entomology at North Carolina State University
• With the creation of a board to continually monitor bee populations, the bill limits the EPA’s ability to regulate and give environmental activists a disproportionate amount of control over agriculture.
• “When you go out and you look at bees that have died or are suffering from maladies and you measure them for pesticides, you do see a lot of pesticides that they pick up and bring back to their hives… But there’s actually a shockingly low percentage of those pesticides that are neonicotinoids.” - David Tarpy, professor of entomology at North Carolina State University
Proponents say
• “Pollinators are critically important to our ecosystem. The food we eat depends on their health. If they are in danger, we are in danger… The EPA has a responsibility to get to the bottom of this issue and they must be held accountable. We must do more to protect pollinators to ensure our food system is healthy and the agricultural economy remains strong.” - Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Democrat, Oregon, District 3)
• “Simply taking the word of pesticide manufacturers that their products are safe is no longer an option. We need oversight and accountability, and that’s why I’m proud to join Congressman Blumenauer in demanding that the EPA fully investigate the effect that certain products may have on pollinators. The sustainability of our nation’s food supply is at stake.” - Rep. Jim McGovern (Democrat, Massachusetts, District 2)
• “We are experiencing a biodiversity crisis and losing insects faster than any other group of animals due to our chemical-intensive agriculture. By suspending use of the most pollinator-toxic pesticides, the Saving America’s Pollinators Act is a huge and important step towards saving the insects that we depend on so much to grow our food.” - Tara Cornelisse, Senior Scientists at the Center of Biological Diversity
• “Simply taking the word of pesticide manufacturers that their products are safe is no longer an option. We need oversight and accountability, and that’s why I’m proud to join Congressman Blumenauer in demanding that the EPA fully investigate the effect that certain products may have on pollinators. The sustainability of our nation’s food supply is at stake.” - Rep. Jim McGovern (Democrat, Massachusetts, District 2)
• “We are experiencing a biodiversity crisis and losing insects faster than any other group of animals due to our chemical-intensive agriculture. By suspending use of the most pollinator-toxic pesticides, the Saving America’s Pollinators Act is a huge and important step towards saving the insects that we depend on so much to grow our food.” - Tara Cornelisse, Senior Scientists at the Center of Biological Diversity
- Reps Blumenauer and McGovern Introduce Legislation to Save America’s Pollinators (Press Release)
- We Don’t Need to Ban Pesticides to Save the Bees (The Federalist)
- Is the EPA Helping to Poison Bees (The Sierra Club)
- EPA Releases Neonicotinoid Assessment for Public Comment (Environmental Protection Agency)
- Pesticide OK'd by EPA as Safer Alternative to Bee-killing Neonicotinoids Is Harmful to Bees (Center for Biological Diversity)
- Earth Day Challenge to Gardners: Don’t Poison Bees (CBS)
