Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06916 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	LCO No. 3920 1 of 5
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6916
6	6	January Session, 2025
7	7	LCO No. 3920
8	8
9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
11	11
12	12
13	13	Introduced by:
14	14	(ENV)
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17	17
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19	19	AN ACT CONCERNING THE USE OF NEONICOTINOIDS.
20	20	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
21	21	Assembly convened:
22	22
23	23	Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) For purposes of this 1
24	24	section, "environmental emergency" means the occurrence of any pest 2
25	25	that presents an imminent risk of significant harm or injury to public 3
26	26	health or to the environment, and "neonicotinoid" has the same meaning 4
27	27	as provided in section 22-61k of the general statutes, as amended by this 5
28	28	act. 6
29	29	(b) On and after January 1, 2028, no person shall use or apply any 7
30	30	neonicotinoid to treat any: (1) Golf course; (2) turf grass; (3) lawn; (4) 8
31	31	playing field; (5) outdoor ornamental plant; (6) property owned by or 9
32	32	leased to the state or any municipality; or (7) corn, wheat or soybean. 10
33	33	The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to neonicotinoid 11
34	34	applications made within one foot of a building foundation's perimeter 12
35	35	to manage structural pests. 13
36	36	(c) (1) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection 14
37	37	may issue a written order to suspend the provisions of subsection (b) of 15
38	38	Raised Bill No. 6916
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40	40
41	41
42	42	LCO No. 3920 2 of 5
43	43
44	44	this section if the commissioner determines that: (A) An environmental 16
45	45	emergency exists; (B) the use of a neonicotinoid will be effective in 17
46	46	addressing such environmental emergency; (C) the use of a 18
47	47	neonicotinoid will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on the 19
48	48	environment, including on nontarget organisms, surface water quality 20
49	49	and groundwater quality; and (D) no other less harmful pesticide or pest 21
50	50	management practice will be effective to address such environmental 22
51	51	emergency. Any order issued pursuant to this subdivision shall be for a 23
52	52	period of not more than one year and shall constitute a public record. 24
53	53	The commissioner shall make any such order publicly available on the 25
54	54	Department of Energy and Environmental Protection's Internet web 26
55	55	site. 27
56	56	(2) Any order issued pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection 28
57	57	shall: (A) Provide the basis for the determinations made by the 29
58	58	commissioner pursuant to subdivision (1) of this section; (B) specify the 30
59	59	neonicotinoid pesticides, uses and purposes to which such order 31
60	60	applies; and (C) specify such order's geographic scope, start date and 32
61	61	duration. 33
62	62	(3) Any order issued pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection 34
63	63	may establish restrictions related to such neonicotinoid use for the 35
64	64	purpose of minimizing harm to public health and the environment, 36
65	65	including, but not limited to, any harm to nontarget organisms, surface 37
66	66	water quality and groundwater quality. 38
67	67	Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) For purposes of this section, 39
68	68	"unreasonable adverse effects on the environment" has the same 40
69	69	meaning as provided in subsection (z) of section 22a-47 of the general 41
70	70	statutes and "neonicotinoid" has the same meaning as provided in 42
71	71	section 22-61k of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 43
72	72	(b) On and after January 1, 2029, no person shall distribute, sell, offer 44
73	73	for sale or use any agricultural seed for corn, wheat or soybean if such 45
74	74	seed is treated with a neonicotinoid unless a waiver is issued by the 46
75	75	Raised Bill No. 6916
76	76
77	77
78	78
79	79	LCO No. 3920 3 of 5
80	80
81	81	Commissioner of Agriculture to the user of such seed pursuant to 47
82	82	subsection (c) of this section. 48
83	83	(c) (1) The Commissioner of Agriculture may, in consultation with 49
84	84	the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, issue a 50
85	85	waiver to allow the use of agricultural seeds treated with a 51
86	86	neonicotinoid for the production of agricultural commodities only upon 52
87	87	application by a person who has (A) completed an integrated pest 53
88	88	management training; (B) conducted a pest risk assessment; and (C) 54
89	89	submitted to the Commissioner of Agriculture a pest risk assessment 55
90	90	report. The Commissioner of Agriculture may issue such waiver if, after 56
91	91	review of the requisite pest risk assessment report, the Commissioner of 57
92	92	Agriculture determines that: (i) The occurrence of a pest presents a 58
93	93	significant risk of imminent harm, injury or loss to agricultural crops; 59
94	94	(ii) the use of agricultural seeds treated with a neonicotinoid will be 60
95	95	effective in addressing the subject pest risk; (iii) the use of agricultural 61
96	96	seeds treated with a neonicotinoid will not cause unreasonable adverse 62
97	97	effects on the environment, including, but not limited to, nontarget 63
98	98	organisms, surface water quality and groundwater quality; and (iv) no 64
99	99	other less harmful seed treatment, pesticide or pest management 65
100	100	practice will be effective in addressing the pest risk. Any waiver issued 66
101	101	pursuant to this subdivision shall be for a period not to exceed one year 67
102	102	and shall, in addition to all applicable application materials, constitute 68
103	103	a public record. The commissioner shall make any such application and 69
104	104	application materials available on the Department of Agriculture's 70
105	105	Internet web site. 71
106	106	(2) Any waiver issued pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection 72
107	107	shall: (A) Provide the basis for the determinations made by the 73
108	108	Commissioner of Agriculture pursuant to subdivision (1) of this 74
109	109	subsection; (B) specify the waiver's geographic scope, which may 75
110	110	include only those properties identified in the applicant's pest risk 76
111	111	assessment report; and (C) specify the waiver's start date and duration. 77
112	112	(d) The Commissioner of Agriculture, in consultation with the 78
113	113	Raised Bill No. 6916
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116	116
117	117	LCO No. 3920 4 of 5
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119	119	Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection and the 79
120	120	Director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, may adopt 80
121	121	regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the 81
122	122	general statutes, for the issuance of waivers pursuant to subsection (c) 82
123	123	of this section. Such regulations may establish fees for any such waiver 83
124	124	application for the purpose of defraying associated administrative costs. 84
125	125	Any such fee collected in accordance with this subsection shall be 85
126	126	deposited in the General Fund. 86
127	127	Sec. 3. Section 22-61k of the general statutes is repealed and the 87
128	128	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 88
129	129	Not later than January 1, 2017, the Commissioner of Agriculture, in 89
130	130	collaboration with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and 90
131	131	the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, shall develop 91
132	132	best practices for minimizing the airborne liberation of neonicotinoid 92
133	133	insecticide dust from treated seeds and mitigating the effects of such 93
134	134	dust on pollinators. Such best practices shall include, but not be limited 94
135	135	to: (1) Methods to minimize such dust when treated seeds are dispensed 95
136	136	from a seed bag into seed planter equipment; (2) guidance on the 96
137	137	positioning of the vacuum system discharge of seed planter equipment 97
138	138	to direct such discharge toward the soil; (3) time frames for the mowing 98
139	139	of flowering vegetation located next to crop fields; (4) identification of 99
140	140	weather conditions that minimize drift of such dust; and (5) suggestions 100
141	141	for the use of seed lubricants to effectively minimize the drift of such 101
142	142	dust. Each such state agency shall make the best practices developed 102
143	143	pursuant to this section available to farmers, any person who owns, 103
144	144	operates or manages a farm or an agricultural facility and the general 104
145	145	public by posting such best practices on the Internet web site of such 105
146	146	state agency not later than February 15, 2017. For purposes of this 106
147	147	section, section 22-90a, subsection (l) of section 22a-50, sections 22a-61a 107
148	148	and 22a-61b, sections 1 and 2 of this act and section 6 of public act 16-17, 108
149	149	"neonicotinoid," means any pesticide that acts selectively on the 109
150	150	nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of an organism, including clothianidin, 110
151	151	dinotefuran, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, thiamethoxam and any other 111
152	152	Raised Bill No. 6916
153	153
154	154
155	155
156	156	LCO No. 3920 5 of 5
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158	158	such pesticide that the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 112
159	159	Protection, after consultation with the Connecticut Agricultural 113
160	160	Experiment Station, determines will result in the death of fifty per cent 114
161	161	or more of a population of bees when two micrograms or less of such 115
162	162	pesticide is applied to each bee within such population. 116
163	163	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
164	164	sections:
165	165
166	166	Section 1 from passage New section
167	167	Sec. 2 from passage New section
168	168	Sec. 3 from passage 22-61k
169	169
170	170	Statement of Purpose:
171	171	To restrict the use of neonicotinoids for certain commercial and
172	172	agricultural applications.
173	173
174	174	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
175	175	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
176	176	underlined.]
177	177