BILL NUMBER: AJR 29INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Allen (Principal coauthor: Senator Leno) FEBRUARY 24, 2012 Relative to honeybees. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AJR 29, as introduced, Allen. Pollinators. This measure would urge the United States Environmental Protection Agency 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. 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, In 2006, honeybees in the United States began disappearing in large numbers, a term coined "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 considered normal; and WHEREAS, Honeybees are a keystone indicator species and their decline points to broader environmental degradation. Pollinator population declines are thus a disproportionately important piece of the current collapse in biodiversity that 7 in 10 biologists believe poses an even greater threat to humanity than the global warming which contributes to it; and 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; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature urges the EPA and the CDPR to create a clear timeline and plan of action for addressing pesticides that pose harm to pollinators, especially neonicotinoids; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature urges 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.