Eugene, Oregon Bans Neonicotinoid Pesticides

[hatrack]

EDIT

But honeybee populations are in steep decline, and have been for a decade. These days, beekeepers lose up to 30 percent of their bees each winter, compared to historic overwintering losses of 10 to 15 percent. Scientists suspect that a number of factors are to blame – parasitic mites, fungicides, disease, the stress of being trucked from farm to farm, toxic buildup in honeycombs, and an especially nasty class of pesticides called neonicotinoids produced by the gigantic chemical company Bayer (at least 30 studies have linked these pesticides to bee deaths).

Now, Oregon is taking the lead in protecting bees. Eugene just became the first city in the nation to ban neonicotinoid pesticides. In late February, the town council prohibited the use of such pesticides on all city parks and open space (see the resolution, “Enhancing Current Integrated Pest Management in Parks”).

And on March 6, the state’s governor, John Kitzhaber, signed the “Save Oregon’s Pollinators” act. The law, declaring pollinator health “an emergency,” passed with strong bipartisan support. The final version of the bill was watered down – as introduced by Democratic Rep. Jeff Reardon, it proposed listing neonicotinoids as a restricted class of pesticides. The compromise version doesn’t go that far, but it does require pesticide applicators to be trained in methods that protect bees and other pollinators, and establishes a state task force to study further measures to safeguard bees and propose additional legislation to address threats.

The bill was prompted by massive bee die-offs in Oregon last summer. The largest, some 50,000 bees, happened when workers sprayed trees in a Target parking lot. Stakeholders that worked on the bill include Beyond Toxics, Oregon Association of Nurseries, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Oregonians for Food and Shelter, and the Xerces Society. It’s meant as a short-term measure to protect pollinators until the federal government completes a review of neonicotinoid pesticides, slated to be complete by 2019. The European Union, which is typically way ahead of the U.S. on environmental and health issues, put a two-year ban on three neonicotinoids last spring.

EDIT

http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/oregon-moves-to-help-disappearing-honeybees

[Nihil]

1. Good. Here's to many more doing the same.

It's a shame that it takes a tragedy to wake some folks up but at least they did it.

How many thousands more bees must die unnecessarily for the rest to wake up?