Portland Courant

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To mark National Pollinators Week, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) today introduced legislation to protect America’s bees, birds, bats, and other pollinators and secure vital agricultural food production. The Saving America’s Pollinators Actuses scientifically backed research to address the harm caused by neonicotinoid pesticides and other toxins on pollinators and their habitats.

Pollinator populations are struggling. National surveys report an 11-year average loss of 39 percent of honeybee colonies. This population decline threatens biodiversity in the U.S. as well as high-value food crops. More than one third of food grown in North America are pollinated by bees. On a global scale, the contribution of bees and other insects to global food production is valued at $125 billion a year.   

Of significant threat to pollinators are neonicotinoid pesticides. While widely used in agriculture and landscaping, they are highly toxic to bees, insects, and other pollinators that feed on plant pollen and nectar. The impact of neonicotinoid pesticides is not limited to farms and fields. When residues wash into waterways, they put aquatic species and their habitat at risk.  

The Saving America’s Pollinators Act suspends the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides harmful to bees and other pollinators until experts make a science-based determination that they are safe to use. Across the U.S. local communities are acting to restrict neonicotinoid use. The European Union has permanently banned the outdoor usage of several neonicotinoids.   

“Without pollinators, the world would be a very different place,” said Congressman Blumenauer, “It is imperative we act to reduce their risk from toxic pesticides and monitor their populations to ensure their health and survival.” 

“Pollinators are the very definition of keystone species. They hold our food system – and entire ecosystems – together,” said Congressman McGovern. “We can no longer afford to put the interests of pesticide manufacturers ahead of the safety of pollinators, people, and the planet. I’m proud to join Congressman Blumenauer in introducing this bill to address once of the most critical components of the biodiversity crisis.”

Original source can be found here.