Seattle City Council To Vote On Citywide Ban Of Neonicotinoids

Editor’s Note: The following information comes directly from RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment):

On September 17, a committee of the Seattle City Council endorsed a ban on the purchase and use of neonicotinoid products on city property. The measure includes supportive language for sales and use bans for all use patterns, including plants, seeds or products containing neonicotinoids in the city, and support for a national moratorium on products.

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Similar bans have already passed in Eugene, Ore., and Spokane, Wash. Passage in Seattle creates momentum for state legislation calling for neonicotinoid prohibitions and possibly for a state pesticide preemption roll back.

RISE needs your help finding grassroots leads in Seattle (or nearby) to attend the full City Council meeting this coming Monday, September 22 at 2 p.m., when the neonicotinoid ban — Resolution 31548 — will come to a vote. The vote comes during a time of day that is challenging for RISE to get people in the room, so the organization will follow up on all leads with talking points, etc.

RISE also needs people to speak out against the measure and to listen to its proponents and their messages. Local residents are urged to eMail their city council member opposing the measure. If you know a science-minded beekeeper in the area, the industry would benefit enormously from their testimony.

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The resolution states:
• The City of Seattle will not purchase or use any neonicotinoid pesticides for any purpose and will seek to use only pollinator-friendly methods of weed and pest control on any city-owned or operated land.
• The Mayor and the Seattle City Council supports a national moratorium on the sale and use of neonicotinoids.
• The Mayor and Seattle City Council strongly urges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend the registration of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, dinotafuran and any other neonicotinoids until the EPA can complete its environmental assessments.
• The Mayor and the Seattle City Council strongly urges the White House Task Force on Pollinator Health to recommend or institute an immediate moratorium on all uses of neonicotinoids.
• The Mayor and Seattle City Council strongly urges businesses operating within the city of Seattle to take immediate steps to ensure no plants, seeds, or products containing neonicotinoids are purchased, sold, or used within the City of Seattle.

Please contact RISE with leads and questions at 202-872-3893 or [email protected].

Source: RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment)

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