Recent Wins
In 2016 Connecticut passed the Pollinator Protection Act which classified neonics as ‘restricted use’, barring them from retail sale and only allowing purchase and use by certified applicators (lawn care company workers, golf course maintenance crews and farmers). The Act set-up best practices for using neonic coated seeds and established the Pollinator Advisory Committee at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES).
Connecticut helped lead the way; however, in subsequent years, due to the state’s lack of data tracking neonic coated seed and testing water for neonics, Connecticut fell behind. Neighboring states such as New York and Vermont, have required tracking of neonic use to inform pesticide decisions. The states with the most data have been able to pass comprehensive neonic regulations.
Maine
In April 2021, the Maine legislature passed a new law that prohibits use of neonicotinoid pesticides with the active ingredients dinotefuran, clothianidin, imidacloprid or thiamethoxam used for application in outdoor residential landscapes such as on lawn, turf or ornamental vegetation. The law goes beyond restricted use and bars neonics from residential properties.
New Jersey
A2070/S1016 was signed into law prohibiting outdoor, non-agricultural neonicotinoid uses in October 2022. A 2020 report by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) found at least one neonic in over half the 250 surface water samples and were over federal benchmarks to harm wildlife. Similar to Connecticut, the majority of neonic use in New Jersey is used on lawns. The New Jersey DEP has authority to permit certified applicators to use neonics to control invasive species pests.
New York
Late in December 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Birds and Bees Protection Act (A.8571-Glick/S.8031-Hoylman-Sigal). Although the law’s final text differs from a bill passed in the legislature in June of 2023, it will dramatically curb neonic use when fully implemented. New York is the first state in the nation to restrict the use of neonic coatings on corn, soybean, and wheat seeds. When the law is fully implemented it will eliminate 80-90% of the neonics entering New York’s environment by prohibiting only unneeded neonic coatings on corn, soybean, and wheat seeds and non-agricultural lawn and garden uses (NRDC).
Vermont
In June, 2024, Vermont became the second state in the nation to restrict neonic coated seed use with Act 182 (H.706) based on New York’s Birds and Bees Protection Act. The new law requires only that farmers get a ‘prescription’ from their agronomist demonstrating the coatings are needed in order to address a valid pest problem (NRDC). Act 182 also prohibits other agricultural uses of neonic uses.