Attorney General Bonta Calls for EPA Restrictions on Pesticide Found to be Extremely Toxic to Bees

The unrestricted use of sulfoxaflor could have devastating effects on pollinators, which are critical to California’s economy and natural ecosystem

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today led a multistate coalition in calling for nationwide restrictions on the use of sulfoxaflor, a chemical pesticide that is extremely toxic to bees and other pollinators. The coalition, comprising some of the nation’s leading agricultural producers, depend on pollinators to sustain their crops and natural ecosystems. For example — California, the nation’s top agricultural state, relies heavily on bees for its almond industry, which contributes over $20 billion in annual economic output, sustains over 100,000 jobs, and supplies about 80% of the world’s almonds. In a letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today, the coalition of 13 states warned that the unrestricted use of sulfoxaflor could have devastating effects on pollinators, and ultimately harm their states’ economies and endanger the nation’s food security. The coalition urged the EPA to adopt reasonable restrictions on sulfoxaflor’s use and support further research into the pesticide’s potential impacts on human health and the environment.
 
“California takes great pride in its role as the nation’s leading agricultural producer,” said Attorney General Bonta. “From almonds to tomatoes, citrus to strawberries, our farms produce the crops that help Americans put nutritious, diverse food on the table. None of that would be possible without bees and other pollinators. These tiny creatures may seem insignificant, but they play a critical role in our survival as a species. That’s why I join my fellow attorneys general today in urging the EPA to impose restrictions backed by research on the use of the toxic pesticide sulfoxaflor. As the states that help feed the nation, we need pollinators to flourish and thrive — our economies depend on them, our ecosystems depend on them, and the entire nation’s food security depends on them.”
 
Insect pollinators play a crucial role in California’s economy — by helping fertilize its farms, which grow over a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts, and by sustaining its natural ecosystems, which generate significant tourism revenue. The California Department of Justice has previously filed multiple amicus briefs in lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration EPA’s previous attempts to lift needed restrictions on sulfoxaflor and allow its use in controversial ways — without consulting the public or considering the pesticide’s effects on endangered species. In December 2022, the lawsuits were successful, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ordered the EPA to immediately correct various legal violations. As a result, in February this year, the EPA published a notice seeking public comment on the use of sulfoxaflor.
 
Today’s letter, issued by 13 attorneys general, provides important state input in response to that notice. In their letter, the attorneys general assert that the states they represent together produce 37% of the nation’s crops and play a key role in American food security and resilience. These 13 states are the leading national producers of a wide variety of crops, such as apples, almonds, lettuce, hops, beets, tomatoes, coffee, and oranges. They also have extraordinary natural resources and ecosystems and are home to a variety of threatened and endangered species and critical habitats. All of this relies on pollination by insects such as bees.
 
To prevent harm to these necessary pollinators, the attorneys general urged the EPA to:

• Restrict the use of sulfoxaflor when crops are blooming and pollinators are most likely to be present;
• Reimpose a required buffer zone between where sulfoxaflor is being sprayed and where vegetation is blooming;
• Encourage collaboration between owners of nearby fields to ensure sulfoxaflor is not applied before or during a period when managed pollinators are nearby; and
• Support further research into sulfoxaflor’s impacts on the environment and on humans, and remain vigilant about its potential harms.

In issuing the letter to the EPA, Attorney General Bonta was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
 
A copy of the comment letter can be found here.