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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 22, 2023 12:11 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Carolyn T. Comitta |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Pesticide Spraying Notifications |
| Honeybees and other pollinators play an integral role in managed and natural ecosystems, as well as our economy. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, pollinators are responsible for roughly one out of every three bites of food we take and increase our nation’s crop value by more than $15 billion each year. However, these important service providers increasingly face a variety of challenges, including habitat loss due to land development, altered land use patterns, the effects of climate change, and exposure to pests, pathogens, pesticides, and other stressors. A study conducted by Bee Informed Partnership, a nonprofit organization, found that beekeepers located across the United States lost 39 percent of their managed honeybee colonies between April 1, 2021, to April 1, 2022. While not all honeybee losses can be attributed to pesticide use, a growing concern has emerged among federal and state agencies, agricultural producers, apiary owners, and educational and research institutions regarding the negative impact certain pesticide products have on pollinators. Currently, under the provisions of Section 2105 of Title 3 (Agriculture) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, apiary owners must register with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. I plan to introduce legislation that would build on this by requiring that the Department annually distribute a copy of the registry to each licensed commercial and public pesticide application business. In addition, this measure would provide for apiary owners located within 500 feet of a pesticide application site to be notified in advance of the application. This bill is a companion to Representative Sappey's HB1411 from last session. Please join me in support of this important legislation to help protect our pollinator species. |
Introduced as SB925