| Why would the EPA want to kill more bees?
Tell the EPA to stop approving toxic chemicals that kill bees Dear Indiana,
Ever heard of thiamethoxam or sulfoxaflor? Probably not. I hadn't until I found out that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about to approve even more of these toxic bee-killing chemicals to be sprayed on crops.
Tell the EPA to stop killing the bees!
So here's the deal. We can't live without bees.
Bees pollinate much of the food we eat, and over the last few years, they've been dying off in large numbers. The toxic chemicals that are being sprayed on industrial agriculture crops are a big part of the reason that bees are disappearing. Even though the EPA knows this is a problem, they are considering allowing even more bee-killing insecticides to be sprayed on major crops like alfalfa, field corn, sweet corn, popcorn, rice and others. Help protect the bees by telling the EPA to buzz off on these chemical approvals.
Farmers rely on bees for so many of our crops, including apples, almonds and avocados (just to name a tiny handful), but beekeepers have lost as much as 45% of their hives from 2012 through 2013 because of colony collapse. Other countries have already taken action, and the European Union has already banned the use of thiamethoxam for its unique potential to harm honeybees. In the U.S., beekeepers have brought a case against the EPA and Dow in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to remove the registration of sulfoxaflor in its entirety.
The good news is, the EPA could do the right thing now by banning these chemicals, but they won't do it without hearing from you. The EPA is collecting comments on the use of these chemicals until May 23, and we're working with allies to make sure they hear from as many of us as possible. Add your name to help us get to 50,000 signers by Friday, May 23 to protect the bees from dangerous chemicals.
It's not enough for us to know that these chemicals are part of the problem. Companies like Syngenta and Dow make huge profits producing these chemicals, and the EPA is under immense pressure from these companies to approve more chemical usage. This is our chance to build the people power that we need to make sure the EPA is working for the people, not corporations. Take action now to save the bees, and our food!
Thanks for taking action,
Sarah Alexander
Deputy Organizing Director
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org  | 
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