An attorney for the National Resouces Development Council told the committee that neonicotinoids were found in 90 percent of surface water samples in Bergen County, with all being above federal safety limits.
By Frank Brill, EnviroPolitics Editor
Legislation sponsored by the New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee Chair Senator Bob Smith and Senator Christopher Bateman, that would direct the Department of Environmental Protection to classify neonicotinoid pesticides as restricted use pesticides, cleared the Senate Environment and Energy committee on Thursday (6/6/19).
“The use of neonicotinoid pesticides must be restricted to protect New Jersey’s citizens and environment,” said Senator Smith (D-Middlesex / Somerset). “These insecticides should only be used by those who know the ramifications of excessive use and those who will use them appropriately to protect New Jersey’s agriculture and economy.”
The bill, S2288, would direct the Department of Environmental Protection to classify neonicotinoid pesticides as restricted use pesticides. This classification would mean that neonicotinoids could only be purchased and used by certified and licensed pesticide applicators or by those under the direct supervision of these applicators
Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine. The neonicotinoid family includes acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, nithiazine, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam.
They have been linked to adverse ecological effects such as honey-bee colony collapse disorder. This bill follows similar bills that have been passed in other states and the European Union to curb the negative ecological effects of neonicotinoid pesticides.
An attorney for the National Resouces Development Council told the committee that neonicotinoids were found in 90 percent of surface water samples in Bergen County, with all being above federal safety limits.
A number of New Jersey environmental organizations went on record in support of the legislation. Representatives from the chemical industry, retail stores, and landscapers, however, said the measure was too broadly written and could limit efforts to fight invasive species.
The NJ Farm Bureau said the bill would not have a significant on state farmers since most already are certified to apply insecticides or hire licensed applicators when necessary.
Senator Smith said he might consider floor amendments that would limit the bill’s application.
An identical bill, A4562, sponsored by Assemblymen Clinton Calabrese and Raj Mukherji, has seen no action in the Assembly Agriculture and National Resources Committee since it was introduced and referred there on October 15, 2018
