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Big thanks to the NRDC and our friends at the Pollinator Pathway for getting the word out about the Birds and Bees Protection Act, a bill that will protect all of us—pollinators, fish, birds, humans, animals—from neonicotinoid pesticides. All the info is below, a repost (again, thank you!), including who to email and call, how to reach them, a draft email you can use, and a petition to sign. The bill is up for a vote June 2, so hop to it!

Request for Action, New Yorkers! Please Support the State’s Birds & Bees Protection Act TODAY!

New York’s Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C)—a critical bill that would protect New York’s pollinators, clean water, and health from toxic neonicotinoid pesticides (“neonics”)– is nearing the finish line, but must pass by June 2, so we need your help as soon as possible.  

Passing this law would help lead the way for other states to take action. Since the EPA has not acted in response to mountains of data linking neonics to declines in pollinator populations, states are stepping forward. Passing this bill is crucial New York! 

Neonics are best known for their lead role in the mass die offs of bees and other pollinators (such as monarch butterflies), but their harms extend much further. Neonics extensively pollute water and are increasingly linked to mass losses of birds, the collapse of fisheries,and other wildlife harms (e.g., birth defects in white-tailed deer). People are also widely exposed, with health experts raising alarm bells about neonics’ threats to human health. A good 3-minute background video on neonics is here.

The Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C) prohibits neonic uses that provide little-to-no benefits to users or are easily replaced with safer alternatives, eliminating an estimated 80-90% of the neonics entering New York’s environment every year. The bill passed the NYS Assembly by a vote of 103-41 and is on the cusp of passing in the state Senate. However, due to slight technical differences between the language of the two bill drafts*, they will need to be reconciled and re-voted upon to send the bill to the governor’s desk.

Since time is running out to get that done before the end of the session, we need your help now by:

• Calling or emailing NYS Assembly Speaker Heastie and Senate President Stewart-Cousins’ office to demand the two houses negotiate and pass a “same as” version of the bill. Speaker Heastie can be reached at 518-455-3791 and speaker@nyassembly.gov,and Senate President Stewart-Cousins can be reached at (518) 455-2585 and/or scousins@nysenate.gov (sample email below, but please feel free to write your own personal email);
• Calling or emailing your Assembly member and state Senator to tell them to urge Speaker Heastie and Senate President Stewart-Cousins to negotiate and pass a “same as” version of the bill. If you don’t know who your state representatives are, you can find them by entering your home address at this website.
• Signing the petition in support of the bill.

Any action you can take will help, although phone calls and personal emails are the most impactful.

Please feel free to forward this action to anyone you think might be interested. If you have any questions, please direct them to Dan Raichel at NRDC at draichel@nrdc.org.

Thanks everyone for your time and hope everyone a bee-utiful spring!

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* The two drafts are here: A7429A/S699C. There are no substantive differences between the bills. The only difference is who may exercise the option to temporarily suspend the ban on neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds if non-treated seeds are unavailable or if purchasing them would impose “undue financial hardship.” In the Senate bill, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) controls the exemption in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM). In the Assembly bill, the Governor controls the exemption directly in consultation with DEC and DAM

Sample Scripts for Emails and Calls

Draft Email to Leadership

Addressees: speaker@nyassembly.gov; scousins@nysenate.gov

Subject: New York Needs the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C)!

Dear Speaker Heastie and President Pro Tempore Stewart-Cousins,  

As a resident of BLANK, I urge you to protect our state against dangerous uses of neonic pesticides by ensuring the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C) passes this session. While the bill recently passed in the Assembly and is on the cusp of passage in the Senate, slight technical differences between the two bill drafts need to be reconciled. I urge you to ensure that happens and a “same as” version of the bill and is passed and sent to the governor’s desk immediately.

Neonics are responsible for killing the bees and other pollinators we depend on for a robust food supply. They are also increasingly linked to mass losses of birds, the collapse of fisheries, and other wildlife harms (e.g., birth defects in white-tailed deer). These neurotoxic pesticides are found in the water we drink, the food we eat, and inside our bodies (A good 3-minute background video on neonics is here). These chemicals are dangerous, widespread, and, for the most part, ineffective—specifically:

• Neonic exposure is linked to neurological damage and malformations of the developing human heart and brain—and CDC monitoring shows half the U.S. population has neonics in their bodies on any given day. Dozens of New York health experts have warned state leaders about neonics’ threats to New Yorkers’ health.
• State and federal water testing finds neonics extensively contaminate New York’s waters. And since most tests only look for 1 of 5 neonics used in New York, even these alarming results greatly underestimate the true extent of the problem.
• In-depth Cornell University research reveals that the neonic uses targeted by the bill—neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds and non-agricultural lawn and garden uses—either don’t benefit users or are easily replaced with safer alternatives. These needless and harmful uses account for 80-90% of the neonics entering New York’s environment every year. 

Please, protect bees, our ecosystems, and the health of New Yorkers by ensuring that the differences between the Assembly and Senate drafts of the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C) are reconciled, and that a “same as” bill is sent to the governor’s desk before June 2l jad

Thank you, 

Your Name

 Draft Email to Your Assemblymember and/or State Senator

Addressees: Type your address in at this website to find contact info.

Subject: Please Urge Leadership to Pass a “Same-As” Version of the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C)!

Dear BLANK,  

As a resident of BLANK, I urge you to take action to protect our state against dangerous uses of neonic pesticides by ensuring the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C) passes this s;ession. While the bill recently passed in the Assembly and is on the cusp of passage in the Senate, slight technical differences between the two bill drafts need to be reconciled. I urge you to contact Speaker Heastie and President Pro Tempore Stewart-Cousins to ensure that happens and a “same as” version of the bill and is passed and sent to the governor’s desk.

Neonics are responsible for killing the bees and other pollinators we depend on for a robust food supply. They are also increasingly linked to mass losses of birds, the collapse of fisheries, and other wildlife harms (e.g., birth defects in white-tailed deer). These neurotoxic pesticides are found in the water we drink, the food we eat, and inside our bodies (A good 3-minute background video on neonics is here). These chemicals are dangerous, widespread, and, for the most part, ineffective—specifically:

• Neonic exposure is linked to neurological damage and malformations of the developing human heart and brain— and CDC monitoring shows half the U.S. population has neonics in their bodies on any given day. Dozens of New York health experts have warned state leaders about neonics’ threats to New Yorkers’ health.
• State and federal water testing finds neonics extensively contaminate New York’s waters. And since most tests only look for 1 of 5 neonics used in New York, even these alarming results greatly underestimate the true extent of the problem.
• In-depth Cornell University research reveals that the neonic uses targeted by the bill—neonic-treated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds and non-agricultural lawn and garden uses—either don’t benefit users or are easily replaced with safer alternatives. These needless and harmful uses account for 80-90% of the neonics entering New York’s environment every year. 

Please, protect bees, our ecosystems, and the health of New Yorkers by urging Speaker Heastie and President Pro Tempore Stewart-Cousins to ensure that the differences between the two bill drafts of the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A7429A/S699C) are reconciled and that a “same as” bill heads to the governor’s desk before June 2. 

Thank you, 

Your Name 

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