After years of employing a range of legal and legislative advocacy strategies, the Pollinator Stewardship Council believes that direct legal action is now required to force the EPA to provide adequate protection to pollinators. Legal research has convinced us that the best way to motivate the EPA to address the financial impact of their decisions may be through a takings case against the EPA. Just as a citizen could expect to be compensated by the government if their property was taken in order to build a highway, beekeepers should be able to expect that the government would provide compensation for the loss of their bees killed by neonics as neonics have been approved by the EPA for public use and purpose. Science is on our side, with a huge array of peer-reviewed scientific research studies clearly indicating that exposure to neonicotinoids, including chronic sublethal exposure over time, is a direct cause of bee death.
While the primary goal of this suit would be to provide compensation to beekeepers for the loss of property, an important secondary goal would be to impact the policies and practices of the EPA to prioritize the protection of pollinators.
The cost of this type of litigation is significant but when we win, we are entitled to recover legal fees. The projected cost for this case is $500k, and we are thrilled to announce that we have secured a very generous $250k match from a private foundation. At our recent presentation at the American Beekeeping Federation conference, beekeeper and PSC board member Bret Adee suggested that it should be easy to raise funds if beekeepers across the country contributed a portion--if we could get 250 beekeepers to contribute $1000, we would meet our goal.
Whether you are are a beekeeper or a concerned citizen who believes that pollinators are critical to our food system and deserving of protection, we ask that you consider contributing to this fund. We believe this case could be a game changer for the future of pollinators.
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