Take Action
The Federal Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 Bill
Threatens Our Right to Pass State Level Restrictions on Pesticides
The US House of Representatives Farm Bill is moving forward for a vote very soon. It contains language that threatens to preempt, and thereby nullify, all state and local pesticide restrictions as well as gut the endangered species act, cut conservation funding, and more. If this bill becomes law, our work at the State level is over.
Environmental organizations developed this letter in opposition to the Federal House Farm Bill. It states that in addition to not reversing changes made to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by H.R. 1, which hurt communities most in need, it contains numerous anti-environmental riders that will undermine conservation and forest management, public health, community safety, and states’ rights.
-
Conservation — The bill cuts conservation funding, including a $1 billion cut to the oversubscribed Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), while diverting remaining dollars toward agribusiness equipment purchases.
-
Forests & Public Lands — Sweeping NEPA, ESA, and NHPA exemptions prioritize the logging industry, limit public input, and could increase wildfire risk — including by effectively reinstating the discredited total fire suppression policy from the early 1900s.
-
Endangered Species — Key provisions eliminate ESA consultation requirements for newly listed species and exempt vegetation management from environmental review, while reducing oversight of pesticide impacts on wildlife.
-
Pesticides & States' Rights — Multiple sections exempt chemicals from FIFRA review, block consumers from suing chemical companies for health harms, and strip states and localities of the ability to adopt stronger pesticide protections — potentially nullifying hundreds of existing laws, including bans on spraying near schools. The bill also prevents state and local regulation of CAFOs, overriding existing food safety, environmental, and animal welfare standards.
-
Rural Clean Energy — Constrains rural energy affordability programs that help farmers and small businesses lower operating costs and achieve energy independence.
Please call or email your US House Representative and ask them to
VOTE 'NO' ON THE HOUSE FARM BILL
Find your US House Representative here.
In Connecticut
Pesticide Reporting Modernization
This bill, as originally written, would have made vital improvements to the systems that track what pesticides are sold and used in Connecticut, in what quantities, and where. It has been amended instead to require the creation of a working group of stakeholders including a spokesperson for pesticide applicators, the Farm Bureau, CT DEEP, Dept. of Agriculture, and environmental advocates, which will produce a report by January 2027 with recommendations for a bill next year.
On April 27, the House voted to pass the bill! It will now go to the Senate for a vote.
Now is the time to call or email your state Senator
and ask them to support HB 5155 and
to consider co-sponsoring it.
The best messages include your story of
why you care about this issue.
Here is a factsheet about the original goals of the bill.
Here is the testimony submitted during the public hearing for the bill.
Find your state representatives Here.
To get involved, sign up for our emails.
Quick Facts
A 2025 Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) report identifies major deficiencies in the way Connecticut collects and reports pesticide use data.
The core concept of the bill is to make data currently collected by DEEP usable.
The over 3000 certified pesticide applicators in the state report pesticide use on handwritten forms that include their names and addresses.
There is no way to aggregate or summarize that data to show which pesticides are being used, in what quantities, and on what pests.
This leaves state agencies, researchers, and the public without access to basic data on pesticide use.
Better data is foundational for understanding how to create smart policy to protect the environment, especially pollinators, birds, clean water and human health.
The proposed system would remove public access to personal names and addresses and aggregate data at the county level, which aligns with approaches used in other states (MA, NY).
%20(13).png)
