Bill Text: HI SCR182 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Recognizing The Importance Of The State's Pollinator Species, The Threat That Systemic Insecticides Pose To Such Species, And Urging The Department Of Land And Natural Resources And The Department Of Agriculture To Take Measures To Limit Pollinator Exposure To Neonicotinoids.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-04-12 - The committee(s) on EEP/AGR recommend(s) that the measure be deferred. [SCR182 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-SCR182-Amended.html

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

182

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STATE'S POLLINATOR SPECIES, THE THREAT THAT SYSTEMIC INSECTICIDES POSE TO SUCH SPECIES, AND URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO TAKE MEASURES TO LIMIT POLLINATOR EXPOSURE TO NEONICOTINOIDS.

 

 


     WHEREAS, pollinator species, including honeybees and other native bees, are a vital part of agricultural production in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, pollinators are critical to valuable specialty crops, including melons, watermelons, cucumbers, squash, lychees, mangoes, macadamia nuts, coffee beans, eggplants, avocados, guavas, herbs; and some flowering plants, including sunflowers; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2007, the Department of Agriculture estimated that nearly seventy percent of the State's food crops depend on pollination by bees and other pollinator species; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii boasts a variety of native pollinators, including honeycreeper birds, Hawaiian yellow-faced bees, and Kamehameha butterflies; and

 

     WHEREAS, many of these iconic species are in peril, and twenty species of honeycreepers are already extinct; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2016, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service added the following seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees to the federal lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants:  Hylaeus anthracinus, Hylaeus longiceps, Hylaeus assimulans, Hylaeus facilis, Hylaeus hilaris, Hylaeus kuakea, and Hylaeus mana; and

 

     WHEREAS, these native bee species face an even greater risk from the use of certain systemic insecticides; and

 

     WHEREAS, scientists and governments around the world have linked the use of systemic insecticides to the rapid decline of honeybees and other pollinators and to the deterioration of pollinator health; and

 

     WHEREAS, scientists and governments have identified a particular class of systemic insecticides, called neonicotinoids, as one significant threat to the existence of pollinator species; and

 

     WHEREAS, systemic insecticides like neonicotinoids are absorbed into treated plants and distributed throughout their vascular systems, and are highly persistent in the environment; and

 

     WHEREAS, despite recognition of their danger, the use of neonicotinoids is ubiquitous, from seed coating to applications on fruits and vegetables, grasses and lawns, and backyard ornamentals; and

 

     WHEREAS, governmental agencies around the world have taken action to limit the toxic impacts of neonicotinoids; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2013, the European Union voted to suspend the use of three major neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam), on certain agricultural crops pending a review of their safety; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced a moratorium on approvals for new outdoor uses of neonicotinoids; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the House of Representatives concurring, that this body recognizes that pollinator species, both native and non-native, play a critical role in the State's local food production, agricultural economy, and natural ecosystems; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body recognizes that restricting exposure of the State's honeybees, native bees, insects, birds, and other pollinators to neonicotinoid insecticides is necessary to protect these species and the State's agricultural economy and natural ecosystems; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture are urged to take measures, as authorized by law, to limit pollinator exposure to neonicotinoids; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture are requested to submit a report of their specific measures taken, and any proposed legislation necessary to limit pollinator exposure to neonicotinoids, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture.

Report Title: 

Pollinators; Insecticide; Neonicotinoids

 

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