Lawmaker Probes Pesticide Risks To Bees

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) is urging EPA to examine a possible link between neonicotinoid pesticides and the decline of honeybees. In an Aug. 22 letter to agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Markey asked for information about EPA’s efforts to assess the impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides on bees and whether the agency has taken any actions to limit or restrict their use. The letter comes one month after EPA rejected a petition from a coalition of advocacy groups and beekeepers to immediately suspend the use of the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin. The agency cited a lack of evidence linking clothianidin to a decline in honeybee populations. EPA is working with Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to develop a framework for assessing the risks of pesticides on pollinators. EPA’s pesticide scientific advisory panel will consider the proposed framework at a four-day public meeting in September.