I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2692 

To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to take 

certain actions related to pesticides that may affect pollinators, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 16, 2013 

Mr. CONYERS (for himself and Mr. BLUMENAUER) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

Agency to take certain actions related to pesticides that 

may affect pollinators, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Saving America’s Polli5 nators Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 (1) Pollination services are a vital part of agri8 cultural production, valued at over 

9 $125,000,000,000 globally and worth 

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1 $20,000,000,000 to $30,000,000,000 in agricultural 

2 production annually in the United States. 

3 (2) One-third of food produced in North Amer4 ica depends on pollination by honey bees, including 

5 nearly 95 varieties of fruits such as almonds, avoca6 dos, cranberries, and apples. 

7 (3) Over the past several years, documented in8 cidents of colony collapse disorder have been at a 

9 record high, with some beekeepers repeatedly losing 

10 100 percent of their operations. 

11 (4) During the winter beginning in 2012 and 

12 ending in 2013, United States beekeepers, on aver13 age, lost 45.1 percent of the colonies they operate. 

14 (5) According to scientists of the Department 

15 of Agriculture, current estimates of the survivorship 

16 of honey bee colonies show they are too low to be 

17 able to meet the pollination demands of United 

18 States agricultural crops. 

19 (6) Scientists have linked the use of systemic 

20 neonicotinoid insecticides to the rapid decline of pol21 linators and to the deterioration of pollinator health. 

22 (7) Neonicotinoids cause sublethal effects in23 cluding impaired foraging and feeding behavior, dis24 orientation, weakened immunity, delayed larval de25 velopment, and increased susceptibility to viruses, 

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1 diseases, and parasites and numerous studies have 

2 also demonstrated acute, lethal effects from the ap3 plication of neonicotinoid insecticides. 

4 (8) Recent science has demonstrated that a sin5 gle corn kernel coated with a neonicotinoid is toxic 

6 enough to kill a songbird. 

7 (9) In June 2013, over 50,000 bumblebees were 

8 killed as a direct result of exposure to a 

9 neonicotinoid applied to Linden trees for cosmetic 

10 purposes. 

11 (10) In January 2013, the European Food 

12 Safety Authority determined that the most widely 

13 used neonicotinoids pose unacceptable hazards to 

14 bees, prompting the European Union to suspend 

15 their use on agricultural crops. 

16 SEC. 3. URGENT REGULATORY RESPONSE FOR HONEY BEE 

17 AND POLLINATOR PROTECTION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

19 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 

20 the Environmental Protection Agency shall suspend the 

21 registration of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, 

22 dinotafuran, and any other members of the nitro group 

23 of neonicotinoid insecticides to the extent such insecticide 

24 is registered, conditionally or otherwise, under the Federal 

25 Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 

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1 et seq.) for use in seed treatment, soil application, or foliar 

2 treatment on bee attractive plants, trees, and cereals until 

3 the Administrator has made a determination that such in4 secticide will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on 

5 pollinators based on— 

6 (1) an evaluation of the published and peer-re7 viewed scientific evidence on whether the use or uses 

8 of such neonicotinoids cause unreasonable adverse 

9 effects on pollinators, including native bees, honey 

10 bees, birds, bats, and other species of beneficial in11 sects; and 

12 (2) a completed field study that meets the cri13 teria required by the Administrator and evaluates 

14 residues, including residue build-up after repeated 

15 annual application, chronic low-dose exposure, cumu16 lative effects of multiple chemical exposures, and any 

17 other protocol determined to be necessary by the Ad18 ministrator to protect managed and native polli19 nators. 

20 (b) CONDITIONS ON CERTAIN PESTICIDES REG21 ISTRATIONS.—Notwithstanding section 3 of the Federal 

22 Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 

23 136a), for purposes of the protection of honey bees, other 

24 pollinators, and beneficial insects, the Administrator of 

25 the Environmental Protection Agency shall not issue any 

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1 new registrations, conditional or otherwise, for any seed 

2 treatment, soil application, and foliar treatment on bee at3 tractive plants, trees, and cereals under such Act until the 

4 Administrator has made the determination described in 

5 subsection (a), based on an evaluation described in sub6 section (a)(1) and a completed field study described in 

7 subsection (a)(2), with respect to such insecticide. 

8 (c) MONITORING OF NATIVE BEES.—The Secretary 

9 of the Interior, in coordination with the Administrator of 

10 the Environmental Protection Agency, shall, for purposes 

11 of protecting and ensuring the long-term viability of native 

12 bees and other pollinators of agricultural crops, horti13 cultural plants, wild plants, and other plants— 

14 (1) regularly monitor the health and population 

15 status of native bees, including the status of native 

16 bees in agricultural and non-agricultural habitats 

17 and areas of ornamental plants, residential areas, 

18 and landscaped areas; 

19 (2) identify the scope and likely causes of un20 usual native bee mortality; and 

21 (3) beginning not later than 180 days after the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act and each year 

23 thereafter, submit to Congress, and make available 

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1 to the public, a report on such health and population 

2 status. 

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