,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ejae ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ad1 #bjah,mr4 ,blumenauer 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1 ,ms4 ,speier1 ,mr4 ,de,fazio1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,mc,collum1 ,ms4 ,tsongas1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,ms4 ,clark of ,massachusetts1 ,mr4 ,connolly1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,mr4 ,polis1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 ,ms4 ,slaughter1 ,ms4 ,lofgren1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 ,ms4 ,pingree1 ,ms4 ,lee1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4 ,nolan1 ,mr4 ,larsen of ,washington1 ,ms4 ,kuster of ,new ,hampshire1 ,mr4 ,cartwright1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,ms4 ,de,lauro1 ,ms4 ,michelle ,lujan ,grisham of ,new ,mexico1 ,ms4 ,esty of ,connecticut1 and ,ms4 ,kaptur7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency to take certain actions related to pesticides that may affect pollinators1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,saving ,america's ,pollinators ,act of #bjah4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,pollination services are a vital part of agricultural production1 valued at over #abe1jjj1jjj1jjj globally4 ,according to a #bjad ,presidential memorandum1 pollinators provide for an annual amount of #bd1jjj1jjj1jjj to the economy of the ,united ,states and honeybees account for #ae1jjj1jjj1jjj of such amount4 ,similarly1 pollination services of native pollinators1 such as bumblebees1 squash bees1 and mason bees1 contribute over #c1jjj1jjj1jjj to the ,united ,states agricultural economy and are estimated to contribute between #icg1jjj1jjj and #b1djj1jjj1jjj to the economy of ,california alone4 7#b7 ,one-third of food produced in ,north ,america--including nearly #ajj varieties of fruits and vegetables such as almonds1 avocados1 cranberries1 and apples--depends on pollination by bees4 7#c7 ,over the past several years1 documented incidents of colony collapse disorder and other forms of excess bee mortality have been at a record high1 with some beekeepers repeatedly losing #ajj percent of their operations4 ,the national honey crop reported in #bjac was the lowest in many decades4 7#d7 ,a recent national survey sponsored by the ,federal ,government indicates that ,united ,states beekeepers experienced a #de4b percent annual mortality rate with their hives during the period beginning in ,april #bjab and ending in ,march #bjac4 ,during the winter of #bjac-bjad1 two-thirds of beekeepers experienced loss rates greater than the established acceptable winter mortality rate4 7#e7 ,according to scientists at the ,department of ,agriculture1 current losses of honeybee colonies are too high to confidently ensure the ,united ,states will be able to meet the pollination demands for agricultural crops4 7#f7 ,native pollinators1 such as bumblebees1 have also suffered alarming population declines4 ,there are currently more than #dj pollinator species federally listed as threatened or endangered1 and most recently1 the iconic monarch butterfly has declined by #ij percent4 7#g7 ,scientists have linked the use of a certain class of systemic insecticides1 known as neonicotinoids1 to the rapid decline of pollinators and to the deterioration of pollinator health4 7#h7 ,neonicotinoids cause sublethal effects1 including impaired foraging and feeding behavior1 disorientation1 weakened immunity1 delayed larval development1 and increased susceptibility to viruses1 diseases1 and parasites4 ,numerous reports also document acute1 lethal effects from the application of neonicotinoids4 7#i7 ,conclusions from a recent global review of the impacts of systemic pesticides1 primarily neonicotinoids1 warn that they are causing significant damage to a wide range of beneficial invertebrate species1 are a key factor in the decline of bees1 and pose a global threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services4 ,another recent global review documented high levels of freshwater contamination4 7#aj7 ,science has demonstrated that a single corn kernel coated with a neonicotinoid is toxic enough to kill a songbird4 ,peer-reviewed research from the ,netherlands has shown that the most severe bird population declines occurred in those areas where neonicotinoid pollution was highest4 ,starlings1 tree sparrows1 and swallows were among the most affected4 7#aa7 ,in ,january #bjac1 the ,european ,food ,safety ,authority determined that the most widely used neonicotinoids pose unacceptable hazards to bees1 prompting the ,european ,union to suspend their use on agricultural crops4 7#ab7 ,in ,june #bjac1 over #ej1jjj bumblebees were killed as a direct result of exposure to a neonicotinoid applied to linden trees for cosmetic purposes4 7#ac7 ,in ,february #bjad1 ,eugene1 ,oregon1 voted to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on city property4 ,similar bans and restrictions have been enacted in ,thurston ,county1 ,spokane1 and ,seattle1 ,washington1 and ,skagway1 ,alaska4 7#ad7 ,in ,june #bjad1 a ,presidential memorandum established a ,pollinator ,health ,task ,force after identifying pollinator decline as a threat to the sustainability of food production systems1 the agricultural economy1 and the health of the environment in the ,united ,states4 7#ae7 ,in ,july #bjad1 the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service announced plans to phase out neonicotinoid pesticides in all national wildlife refuges across the ,united ,states by ,january #bjaf4 ,the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service recognized that the prophylactic use of neonicotinoids for agricultural purposes harms a wide range of nontarget species and is therefore inconsistent with the management policy of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service4 7#af7 ,in ,october #bjad1 an assessment by the ,environmental ,protection ,agency found that neonicotinoid seed coatings provide little benefit to overall soybean crop yield4 ,additional studies determined that in approximately #hj to #ij percent of row crop uses1 neonicotinoid coatings are unnecessary4 ,the prophylactic overuse of neonicotinoids violates the fundamental principles of integrated pest management4 7#ag7 ,in ,november #bjad1 the ,province of ,ontario1 ,canada1 announced the province will move to restrict the use of neonicotinoid-coated corn and soybean seeds because of the broad harms from their overuse1 with a goal of #hj percent reduction by #bjag4 7#ah7 ,in ,september #bjae1 the ,circuit ,court of the ,united ,states for the ,ninth ,circuit ruled to revoke the ,environmental ,protection ,agency's approval for sufloxaflor--a neonicotinoid pesticide4 7#ai7 ,in ,november #bjaf1 ,health ,canada1 the ,department of the ,government of ,canada with responsibility for national public health1 proposed a ban on almost all uses of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid1 saying it is seeping into ,canadian waterways at levels that can harm insects and the ecosystem4 7#bj7 ,the ,president's budget for fiscal year #bjah cuts funding for pesticide review programs of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency by #bj percent delaying reviews of new1 potentially safer pesticides as well as reviews of older1 more dangerous pesticides such as neonicotinoids4 #c4 ,urgent regulatory response for honeybee and pollinator protection 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency shall suspend the registration of imidacloprid1 clothianidin1 thiamethoxam1 dinotafuran1 and any other members of the nitro group of neonicotinoid insecticides to the extent such insecticide is registered1 conditionally or otherwise1 under the ,federal ,insecticide1 ,fungicide1 and ,rodenticide ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #acf et seq47 for use in seed treatment1 soil application1 or foliar treatment on bee-attractive plants1 trees1 and cereals until the ,administrator has made a determination that such insecticide will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators based on-- 7#a7 an evaluation of the published and peer-reviewed scientific evidence on whether the use or uses of such neonicotinoids cause unreasonable adverse effects on pollinators1 including native bees1 honeybees1 birds1 bats1 and other species of beneficial insects2 and 7#b7 a completed field study that meets the criteria required by the ,administrator and evaluates residues1 including residue buildup after repeated annual application1 chronic low-dose exposure1 cumulative effects of multiple chemical exposures1 and any other protocol determined to be necessary by the ,administrator to protect managed and native pollinators4 7b7 ,conditions on certain pesticides registrations ,notwithstanding section #c of the ,federal ,insecticide1 ,fungicide1 and ,rodenticide ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #acf;a71 for purposes of the protection of honeybees1 other pollinators1 and beneficial insects1 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency shall not issue any new registrations1 conditional or otherwise1 for any seed treatment1 soil application1 and foliar treatment on bee-attractive plants1 trees1 and cereals under such ,act until the ,administrator has made the determination described in subsection 7a71 based on an evaluation described in subsection 7a77#a7 and a completed field study described in subsection 7a77#b71 with respect to such insecticide4 7c7 ,monitoring of native bees ,the ,secretary of the ,interior1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 shall1 for purposes of protecting and ensuring the long-term viability of native bees and other pollinators of agricultural crops1 horticultural plants1 wild plants1 and other plants-- 7#a7 regularly monitor the health and population status of native bees1 including the status of native bees in agricultural and nonagricultural habitats and areas of ornamental plants1 residential areas1 and landscaped areas2 7#b7 identify the scope and likely causes of unusual native bee mortality2 and 7#c7 beginning not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act and each year thereafter1 submit to ,congress1 and make available to the public1 a report on such health and population status4