Contributed by Dewey Caron

Representative Earl Blumenauer, OR 3rd district (Portland east through Cascade foothills) and MI Representative John Conyers have reintroducted Saving America’s Pollinators Act. The legislation requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take swift action to prevent mass bee die-offs and protect the health of honey bees and other critical pollinators by suspending the use of certain bee-toxic insecticides, known as neonicotinoids. It also requires the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Administrator of the EPA, to monitor the health of native bee populations and to identify and publicly report the likely causes of bee kills.

In his reintroduction (the legislation was initially introduced last year but did not get out of committee despite a congressional hearing) Representative Blumenauer said “It is imperative that we take a step back to make sure we understand all the factors involved in bee population decline and move swiftly to protect our pollinators.” Eugene, OR, Spokane, and Seattle, WA have already adopted measures to ban the use of neonicotinoids on municipal lands. The federal government has also taken action to discontinue the use of neonicotinoids on national wildlife refuge system lands.

Rep Blumenthal related that although “a small step in the right direction, greater action needs to be taken to protect bee populations at the federal level.” Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director of Portland based Xerces Society adds “We hope that the reintroduction of this bill further encourages EPA to work with its partners to better manage the possible risks to bees posed by pesticides, including neonics.”

You can sign a petition to support the bill, or contact your representatives in Congress.