- Thirteen Democratic AGs, who account for 37% of national crop production, sent a comment letter to the EPA urging the agency to place nationwide restrictions on the use of sulfoxaflor, a pesticide that is toxic to bees and other pollinators.
- In the letter, the AGs urge that a proper balance between agricultural pest control and pollinator protection is necessary to preserve their states’ agricultural output. They explain that healthy crops and natural ecosystems depend on insect-mediated pollination, but the nation is experiencing historically high rates of bee colony loss and loss of other pollinators. The AGs argue that the low levels of pollinators make it critical that the EPA protect pollinators from potentially harmful pesticides such as sulfoxaflor, which they allege is highly toxic to pollinators and their habitats.
- The AGs ask the EPA to impose reasonable restrictions on sulfoxaflor use in order to protect pollinators, including a prohibition on application during bloom periods, the re-imposition of a spray drift buffer near blooming vegetation, and a requirement that all mitigation on sulfoxaflor product labels is enforceable rather than advisory.