BILL NUMBER: AJR 29 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 6, 2012
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Allen
(Principal coauthor: Senator Leno)
FEBRUARY 24, 2012
Relative to honeybees.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 29, as amended, Allen. Pollinators.
This measure would urge the United States Department of
Agriculture, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and
the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to act
expeditiously to protect pollinators, especially honeybees, by
prohibiting the use, marketing, or sale of neonicotinoid products
deemed hazardous to pollinators officially recognize
the importance of pollinators to our food supply and environment, to
declare the urgency of Colony Collapse Disorder, and to promote
healthy environments for all pollinators .
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, Agriculture is a major industry in California,
with a direct connection to 1 in every 10 jobs; and
WHEREAS, Since the early 20th Century, migratory beekeepers have
provided a critical service to the United States and California
economies, pollinating a wide variety of high value crops, including
almonds, cherries, and apples; and
WHEREAS, Honeybees are the most economically valuable pollinator
in the United States, adding well over $15 billion in economic value
to agriculture each year; and
WHEREAS, One in three bites of food we eat is dependent on
honeybees for pollination; and
WHEREAS, California is responsible for more than half the world's
almond production, and approximately 1.3 to 1.5 million honeybee
colonies are rented for almond pollination alone; and
WHEREAS, Bees and other pollinators are essential to the majority
of the flowering plants on our planet and to the production of more
than 130 different food crops; and
WHEREAS, Some farmers and growers depend on pollinators for seed
production for crops grown in subsequent years; and
WHEREAS, Honeybees are the main pollinators on which we depend,
but native pollinators, such as other species of bees, are also
essential; and
WHEREAS, Almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries,
carrots, cantaloupes, cherries, cucumbers, cranberries, kiwis,
melons, onions, pears, plums, prunes, and more, depend on honeybee
pollination; and
WHEREAS, Poor pollination leads to poor fruit development; and
WHEREAS, Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three
bites of food that we eat; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, honeybees in the United States began
disappearing in large numbers , -- a
term coined phenomenon called "colony
collapse disorder"; and
WHEREAS, Multiple, interacting causes are likely contributors to
"colony collapse disorder," including pathogens, habitat loss, and
pesticides; and
WHEREAS, Immune system damage is a critical factor that may be at
the root of the disorder; and
WHEREAS, Each year since 2006, commercial beekeepers have reported
annual losses of 26-36 percent, more than double what is
bees in excess of what would be considered
normal; and
WHEREAS, Honeybees are a keystone indicator species and their
decline points to broader environmental degradation.
degradation; and
WHEREAS, Pollinator population declines are
thus a disproportionately important may be a
disproportionately significant piece of the current collapse in
biodiversity that 7 in 10 some
biologists believe poses an even greater threat to humanity than
the global warming climate change,
which contributes to it; and now, therefore,
be it
WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has identified a newer class of systemic, neurotoxic pesticides
called neonicotinoids, and especially the products containing
imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxin, as being highly toxic to
honeybees; and
WHEREAS, Bayer CropScience recently announced the removal of
almonds from the pesticide label for imidacloprid products in
California, thereby eliminating the use of the product in almond
orchards, in response to concerns by the scientific community about
the product's impacts on honeybees; and
WHEREAS, Both the EPA and the California Department of Pesticide
Regulation (CDPR) are tasked with evaluating the threat of pesticides
to pollinators before they are marketed in California. However,
these agencies have relied on industry studies and failed to
adequately study problems with pesticides as they arise in the field;
and
WHEREAS, Governments in Italy, Germany, France, and elsewhere have
already taken action to protect pollinators from neonicotinoids, and
the State of New York has already banned neonicotinoid products;
now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the EPA and
the CDPR to act expeditiously to protect pollinators, and especially
honeybees, by prohibiting the use, marketing, or sale of
neonicotinoid products deemed hazardous to pollinators
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of
Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and the California Department of
Pesticide Regulation (CDPR), to officially recognize the critical
importance of pollinators to our food supply and to our environment
; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature urges the EPA and the
, the USDA, the CDFA, and the CDPR to
create a clear timeline and plan of action for addressing pesticides
that pose harm to pollinators, especially neonicotinoids
declare the urgency of Colony Collapse Disorder, as well as for
further identifying the reasons underlying Colony Collapse Disorder
; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature urges the EPA, the USDA, the
CDFA, and the CDPR , and the California Department of
Food and Agriculture, to promote healthy environments for
all pollinators through existing programs and new funding
opportunities; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the office of the Governor, the Secretary of the
Senate, and the author for appropriate distribution.