MAINE PASSES BILL TO SAVE BEES!!! OTHER STATES MUST FOLLOW!!!

 Submitted by: Buzz

Great news: Maine just passed our nation's strongest statewide restrictions on bee-killing pesticides.1 The law puts our pollinators first, banning some of the most harmful neonicotinoid, or "neonic," bee-killing pesticides in residential landscapes. At the heart of this victory lies the voices of more than 10,000 Mainers who signed our sister group's petition, made hundreds of calls and wrote dozens of letters -- plus the more than 60 beekeeper, scientific, public health, farming and environmental organizations who signed on their support. Now, thanks to our national network's supporters, Maine's honeybees and 270 native bee species can fly a little safer. Neonics play an outsized role in the alarming die-offs our bees have seen in recent decades.2 Across the country, their habitat disappeared, their populations dropped, and their food was flooded with poison. These half-inch pollinators needed a helping hand. That's where our partner group Environment Maine came in. After they raised the voices of thousands of supporters like you to state decision-makers, Maine legislators voted to give our bees a chance to flourish. And it's bigger than Maine. Across the country, bee safeguards are gaining steam: Massachusetts, Maryland, Vermont and Connecticut have all enacted strong neonic restrictions. There's even more bee-saving legislation on the table. From New Jersey to New Mexico, state legislators are getting the message and introducing popular legislation to protect our bees. Environment America is looking beyond state legislation, too. Across the country, our network is calling on Amazon to stop the sale of bee-killing pesticides, working to keep these pesticides out of wildlife refuges and urging the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the worst uses of neonics nationwide. But Maine just raised the bar. Now, if we continue raising our voices, we can prioritize bees' safety above the pesticides that kill them. Together, we're moving forward, working and rallying the whole Environment America hive as we try to give bees a chance. Thanks for making it all possible, Wendy Wendlandt President P.S. Supporters like you fuel all our campaigns to protect our wildlife and wild places. With your continued support, we can gather the resources we need to build on this victory and win more. Help secure more victories for our bees and our environment with a donation to Environment America. 1. "Maine governor signs bill to save the bees," Environment Maine, June 11, 2021. 2. Roni Dengler, "Neonicotinoid pesticides are slowly killing bees," PBS, June 29, 2017. Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you.

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