Over 125 state legislators stand in opposition to the pollinators provisions in the House draft Farm Bill

Over 125 state legislators signed a letter in opposition to a provision that they fear will cause harm to pollinators. The current provision affecting pollinators would exempt the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from key requirements under the Endangered Species Act that protect imperiled species, such as pollinators, when the EPA registers potentially harmful pesticides. Circumventing key requirements for federally listed pollinators and allowing the EPA to make self-interested determinations on the effects of pesticides will harm species and disrupt working ecosystems.

Native pollinators contribute an estimated $3 billion annually in crop pollination services nationally. Together with non-native honey bees, pollinators are estimated to contribute $15 billion in annual crop pollination throughout the U.S. However, many bee populations, are in sharp decline due to a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. Studies have identified the use of certain pesticides and other factors as contributing to this phenomenon and the resulting loss of bee populations. Recent peer-reviewed data indicates that native bumblebees, including the endangered rusty patched bumble bee, are particularly harmed by pesticides.