California Assembly Bill AJR29 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AJR 29AMENDED 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.