BILL NUMBER: AJR 29	INTRODUCED
	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.