Administrator signs first-ever pollinator proclamation for the agency in its 50-year history

PHILADELPHIA (June 24, 2020) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler has signed a proclamation designating the week of June 22 as National Pollinator Week. Administrator Wheeler is the first EPA Administrator to make such a designation – joining leadership from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), all 50 Governors and hundreds of governments and organizations around the world.

“EPA is committed to protecting pollinators like bees and hummingbirds which sustain the majority of our food supplies,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio “I am proud to work with our local, state and federal partners in reaffirming our commitment to promoting pollinator health which also means protecting human health, the environment and our nation’s food supply.”

Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. Yet, pollinator populations are on the decline due to many stressors, including pests, poor nutrition due to loss of habitat, unnecessary pesticide exposure, pathogens and viruses.

EPA is leading several efforts to protect bees and other pollinators from pesticide exposure to ensure they can thrive in their habitats. In 2019, the agency updated its bee mortality data table to help farmers and beekeepers estimate how long a specific pesticide may remain toxic to bees and other insect pollinators following application to crops.

EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region worked closely with its regional states to develop and implement their Managed Pollinator Protection Plans or MP3s.  The region also provided states and the regulated community with technical assistance, worked with the states for some of their outreach activities, conducted training for regional staff and displayed educational posters in the region’s Public Information Center.  

EPA is also focused on advancing public awareness of the importance of protecting pollinators. In March 2020, EPA launched a free webinar series highlighting ongoing work to promote pollinator health and habitat, which will continue through September 2020. This week the agency also renewed its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit organization that facilitates actions that benefit pollinator habitats.

To learn more about what EPA is doing to protect pollinators and what you can do help protect them, visit https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection . More information is also available about how DOI and USDA are celebrating the week.