Resolution _________________

A RESOLUTION concerning the use of neonicotinoid pesticides by the City of Seattle; supporting a national moratorium on neonicotinoids, urging the White House Task Force on Pollinator Health to recommend such a moratorium, urging the US Environmental Protection Agency to institute such a moratorium, and urging the US Congress to revive legislation to enact such a moratorium; and urging retailers operating within the City of Seattle to ensure that no plants, seeds or products containing neonicotinoids are offered for sale.

WHEREAS, bees and other insect pollinators are under great environmental stress, experiencing die-offs and diminishing populations, and putting major sectors of agriculture and food security at risk; and

WHEREAS, the Food Action Plan of the City of Seattle commits the City to use its purchasing and contracting power, and to support programs, policies and projects, to promote local, sustainably produced food, and access to healthy food for all residents; and

WHEREAS, agriculture is among the largest sectors of the economy of the State of Washington, accounting for over 49 billion dollars in total revenue and 13 percent of the state's economy; and

WHEREAS, pollinators are critical to key Washington crops, such as tree fruit; over one-third of all agricultural production worldwide is dependent on pollinators; and

WHEREAS, the United States Geological Survey has highlighted the growing use of neonicotinoids in the United States, and found significant neonicotinoid contamination in our nation's waters; and

WHEREAS, Neonicotinoids, one of the most widely used classes of insecticides in the world, are systemic, persistent neurotoxins that spread throughout a treated plant including to the pollen that is gathered by pollinators; and

WHEREAS, An independent review of more than 800 scientific studies concluded that neonicotinoids are causing significant damage to a wide range of beneficial invertebrate species and are a key factor in the decline of bees; and

WHEREAS, responding to scientific concern over the impact of neonicotinoids on pollinators, the European Union in 2013 instituted a two-year moratorium on use of neonicotinoids, while cities, including Spokane, WA, Eugene, OR, and Sherwood, MN, have instituted bans against municipal use; and

WHEREAS, United States House of Representatives Bill 2692, the "Save America's Pollinators Act" of 2013, is currently pending in committee; and

WHEREAS, in August 2014 the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to phase out use of neonicotinoids on National Wildlife Refuges across the country, and the US Geological Survey released information on the pervasive appearance of neonicotinoids in aquatic environments throughout the Midwest; and

WHEREAS, in July 2014 President Obama directed the White House Task Force on Pollinator Health to publish within 180 days a strategy to stop the decline of pollinators and help restore populations to healthy levels; and

WHEREAS, the US Environmental Protection Agency has allowed registration, sale and use of neonicotinoids while it carries out an assessment, and is not scheduled to issue its report until 2018; and

WHEREAS, the City's Interdepartmental Team on Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which includes representatives from Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Center, Finance and Administrative Services, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation and Seattle Public Libraries, has recommended eliminating the use of neonicotinoids at City facilities; NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

Section 1. The City of Seattle will not purchase or use any neonicotinoid pesticides for any purpose and will seek to use only pollinator-friendly methods of weed and pest control on any Cityowned or operated land.

Section 2. The Mayor and the Seattle City Council supports a national moratorium on the sale and use of neonicotinoids.

Section 3. The Mayor and the Seattle City Council strongly urges the US House of Representatives to pass the Save America's Pollinators Act (H.R. 2692).

Section 4. The Mayor and Seattle City Council strongly urges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to suspend the registration of imidacloprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, dinotafuran and any other neonicotinoids until the EPA can complete its environmental assessments.

Section 5. The Mayor and the Seattle City Council strongly urges the White House Task Force on Pollinator Health to recommend or institute an immediate moratorium on all uses of neonicotinoids.

Section 6. The Mayor and Seattle City Council strongly urges businesses operating within the City of Seattle to take immediate steps to ensure no plants, seeds, or products containing neonicotinoids are purchased, sold, or used within the City of Seattle.

Adopted by the City Council the ____ day of ____________________, 2014, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this________ day

of ______________________, 2014.

_________________________________

President ___________of the City Council

THE MAYOR CONCURRING:

_________________________________

Edward B. Murray, Mayor

Filed by me this ____ day of ________________________, 2014.

____________________________________

Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk

(Seal)

Josh Fogt/Hiba Khalil/Tracy Morgenstern/Mike Fong LEG Neonicotinoids RES September 11, 2014 Version 5