CONVERSATION PIECE

The Birds and The Bees Protection Act

This triptych titled Conversation Piece is an ongoing piece I’m creating as a part of The Good of the Hive. It is in support of the Birds and the Bees Protection Act in New York State. This bill will put a 5-year moratorium on the use of certain neonicotinoid pesticides across New York State. Neonics are deadly to bees and birds… and really bad for humans, too.

SEE BELOW FOR NUMBERS YOU CAN CALL PLEASE CALL BY JUNE 2!!

• Reach out with a call in support of the bill to legislative leadership – Senate President Pro Tempore Andrea Stewart-Cousins: (518) 455-2585 (Albany); (914) 423-4031 (District); Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie: 518-455-3791 (Albany); 718-654-6539 (District);

• Call your own representatives (or legislators you have a relationship with) and ask them to contact leadership to resolve the differences and get a bill passed (this website can help you find their contact information); and

• Send an email along those same lines (drafts below, but please feel free to modify).

Calls in support tend to be the most impactful, but we know it’s a busy time and are very appreciative for any help you can provide.

Background: Basic info on the bill is here. More detail on NYS water contamination here, and human health impacts here.

Status: The bill passed the NYS Assembly by a vote of 103-41 and is now on the floor of the Senate (third reading), but there is one small, non-substantive difference between the two bills. The two drafts are here: A7429A/S699C. The 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.

Our Position: We are agnostic between the two bill drafts since the real-world impact would be the same. We support both versions of this bill and would be happy to see either version—or some compromise or reconciliation of the two—head to the Governor’s desk before June 2.

DRAFT EMAILS
(although calls are most effective)

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 [TITLE of ORG OR BUSINESS/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, threatening New York’s ecosystems and the production of top crops like apples, blueberries, and cherries. Neonics 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 at levels expected to cause “ecosystem-wide damage,” 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 2. 

Thank you,

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 [TITLE of ORG OR BUSINESS/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 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 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 before June 2.

Neonics are responsible for killing the bees and other pollinators we depend on, threatening New York’s ecosystems and the production of top crops like apples, blueberries, and cherries. Neonics 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 at levels expected to cause “ecosystem-wide damage,” 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,