[Pollinator] After Action Report-"Pollinated" Farm Bill Passes House. THANK CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, KEY STAFF

Fri Jul 27 16:16:17 PDT 2007

By a 231-191 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 2007 farm
bill (HR 2419) on Friday afternoon.

*** GROUP STATEMENT in support of Hastings amendment.  
	-GREAT POLLINATOR TEAM RESPONSE ON IMPOSSIBLY SHORT NOTICE.  
	-THANK YOU!!!  
	-See attached, and list of signatories at bottom of this e-mail.
	-If you recruited someone to sign on, please pass the good news
along.

*** ACTION REQUEST:  THANKS TO--
	-Rep Alcee Hastings
	-Rep Earl Blumenaur
	-Ag Cmte Chmn Colin Peterson
	-Ranking member Bob Goodlatte
	-Horticulture & Organic Ag Subc Chair Dennis Cardoza
	-Subc ranking member Randy Neugebauer
	-YOUR Representative
	-Key hard working hill staff

FARM BILL POLLINATOR HIGHLIGHTS:

1.  HASTINGS POLLINATOR PROTECTION AMENDMENT ADOPTED:  The Hastings (D-FL)
Pollinator Protection amendment [Hastings (FL) amendment (No. 8) that adds a
new section for ``Pollinator Protection'' that authorizes research funding
to reduce North American pollinator decline and understand Colony Collapse
Disorder] http://www.pollinator.org/Resources/hastfl_048_xml%20(3).pdf was
incorporated into an en bloc amendment by Agriculture Committee Chairman
Peterson, which was adopted by voice vote late Thursday evening.  The
Hastings amendment incorporates core provisions of (1) Senator Boxer’s
research bill (S. 1694) [which broadened provisions in Hastings’ original
bill, HR 1709 to include habitat and native pollinator concerns]; and (2)
Rep. Blumenauer’s habitat conservation bill (HR 2913).

2.  "SPECIALTY CROP POLLINATION" ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIALTY CROP RESERCH FUNDS:
The Manager's amendment presented as a substitute to the bill reported out
of Committee, also includes "specialty crop pollination" as eligible for
competitive specialty crops research, which is funded at $215 million
[mandatory] over the 5-year life of the farm bill.

3.  POLLINATOR HABITAT EQIP INCENTIVES PAYMENTS ELIGIBILITY:  In the
conservation title, Section 2105, producers are eligible to receive EQIP
incentive payments for pollinator habitat.  

4.  POLLINATOR-BENEFICIAL CONSREVATION REPORT LANGUAGE:  This EQIP provision
is reinforced and broadened through report language, which states “The
Committee included pollinator [habitat] to the list of practices eligible
for incentive payments under EQIP.  In addition to wildlife benefits, crop
pollination represents a major agricultural input, especially for specialty
crop producers.  The Committee encourages USDA to clarify that habitat and
other conservation measures benefiting honey bees and other managed
pollinators and native pollinators are eligible for cost-share and incentive
payments in other conservation programs as appropriate, and to encourage
such practices.”  The conservation provisions in the Hastings amendment
[from Blumenauer bill] provide statutory substance to the intent of the
report language.

5.  USDA CCD ANNUAL REPORT:  In Title X, specialty crops title, Section
1001, USDA is to report annually to Congress on response to CCD and impact
on honey bees.

6.  INCREASE CONSERVTION FUNDING:  The House-passed 2007 farm bill provides
a significant increase in mandatory conservation spending, meaning more
resources will be provided to programs that can benefit pollinators,
pollinator habitat and the agricultural and wildlife ecosystems that depend
upon pollination services provided by managed and native pollinators.

HASTINGS AMENDNENT GROUP LETTER SIGNATORIES:

Organizations:
American Beekeeping Federation, Inc.
American Honey Producers Association 
American Farmland Trust
California Farm Bureau Federation
California State Beekeepers Association
Center for Biological Diversity
Coevolution Institute
Defenders of Wildlife
Environmental Defense
Florida Farm Bureau Federation
National Wildlife Federation
Partners for Sustainable Pollination
Sonoma County Beekeepers Association
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Wild Farm Alliance
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Individuals:
May Berenbaum, Ph.D., Professor and Head, Department of Entomology,
University of 
     Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Stephen Buchmann, Ph.D., Department of Entomology, University of Arizona 
Nicole Cavender, Director, Restoration Ecology, The Wilds, Cumberland, OH
Liz Day, Indianapolis, IN
Elizabeth Dougherty, Oakland, CA
Maryann Frazier, Senior Extension Associate, Department of Entomology, Penn
State 
     University
Sarah S. Greenleaf, Ph.D., Department of Plant Pathology, University of
California-Davis
Jennifer L. Hopwood, Iowa State University
Rhonda Kranz, Kranz Consulting, Takoma Park, MD
Kelly C. Lotts, USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure, Big Sky
Institute, 
     Montana State University 
David Mendes, Headwaters Farm, North Fort Meyers, FL
Tim Miklasiewicz, Ph.D., Ohio Ecological Conspirators, Plain City, OH
Randy Oliver, Beekeeper, Biologist & Author, Grass Valley, CA
David W. Roubik, Ph.D., Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Leslie Saul-Gershenz, Director of Conservation, Center for Ecosystem
Survival, 
     San Francisco, CA
Robbin W. Thorp, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Entomology,
University of 
     California, Davis
Maria Van Dyke, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
Daniel B. Weaver, President, Bee Weaver Apiaries, Inc., Navasota, TX &
President, 
     American Beekeeping Federation
David Webb, Vice-President, Florida State Beekeeper's Association, Cocoa, FL
E. O. Wilson, Ph.D., Research Professor of Biology, Emeritus, Harvard
University

*** SENATE NEXT-AG CMTE ANTICIPATED IN SEPTEMBER.  Discussion draft good
beginning, but more pollinating to be done!

For more info:  www.pollinator.org  

R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Public Affairs Representative for Coevolution
Institute/NAPPC
   Van Arsdall & Associates
   13605 McLane Place
   Fredericksburg, VA  22407-2344
   (540) 785-0949
   tom at vanarsdall.com 

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Group Letter in support of Hastings amendment.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 38912 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20070727/a7538c49/attachment-0001.doc 