Action Alert February 2023


ACTION ALERT

Committee: ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Hearing Date: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023

The Environment Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, February 15, 2023

at 11:00 A.M. in Room 2B of the LOB and via Zoom. You must register no later than Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 3:00 PM.
 

Engagement request:

  • Submit written testimony here, please send a copy to testimony@ctenvironmentalfacts.org.

  • Email your legislator (insert Find My Legislator link) to share your position.

  • Call your legislator to follow up

  • Show up to the Public Hearing 

    • Provide oral testimony, You must register no later than Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 3:00 PM. Register here.

    •  Connect with your legislator while at the Legislative Office Building

Submit written and/or oral testimony on the following:

SB00963 An Act Concerning Neonicotinoids For Non-agricultural Use. - K - Kill

SB00962 An Act Concerning The Use Of Certain Rodenticides. - K - Kill

SB00965 An Act Providing Funding For The Removal Of Hazardous Or Dead Trees By Municipalities. - S - Support

  1. Talking Points
    1. Pesticide decisions are best handled by regulatory agencies within the framework established under FIFRA.
      1. This class of chemistry has already been designated as Restricted Use, which limits access to trained professionals who have been certified by DEEP to understand and minimize the risks associated with proper use.
      2. It is in the final stages of review at the federal level to determine if label changes are warranted based on the latest scientific data on impacts to human health and the environment.
      3. A more reasonable approach to managing pesticides would be to fully fund the DEEP Pesticide Division to improve their ability to manage and enforce the current regulations and labelling established under FIFRA.
      4. Hiring a Ph. D level Environmental Toxicologist would allow DEEP to review all data provided by manufacturers and EPA as part of the annual registration renewal process at the state level.
    2. Unintended Consequences
      1. Alternative products are often more expensive and/or less effective. This legislation would lead to reliance on less expensive alternatives available for curative applications that are less desirable due to their potential impact on pollinators and natural predators of the target pests.
      2. The language in this bill would remove all products in this class from the supply chain in CT, making them unavailable for emergency uses to control invasive species such as Emerald Ash Borer, Asiatic Long Horned Beetle, and Spotted Lantern Fly, putting our landscapes and forests at significant risk. 
      3. Climate change is contributing to the expanded range of these and other potentially damaging pests, putting the state's forests and other natural resources at risk.
      4. Pesticide decisions are best handled by regulatory agencies within the framework established under FIFRA.
    3. Protecting pollinators
      1. Claims that current applications of neonicotinoids that are consistent with EPA approved labels are negatively impacting pollinators are based on misinformation and poorly interpreted scientific data.  Real world evidence supports the fact that the greatest threats to pollinators are verroa mites and the diseases they spread, poor nutrition and loss of habitat, and transportation of commercial hives.
      2. More emphasis should be placed on expanding and improving pollinator habitat in urban and suburban landscapes.  This should include adding pollinator friendly plants to medians and shoulders of state highways to create pollinator pathways.
      3.  Many golf courses and farms across the country maintain honeybee hives with no indication that pesticide use has any negative impact on populations.
      4. Pesticide decisions are best handled by regulatory agencies within the framework established under FIFRA.