[Pollinator] Merkley, Alexander, Carper, Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Create Monarch and Pollinator Highways

[Matthew Shepherd]

Hi everyone,



I’m just passing on this news release from Sen. Merkley (D-OR).



Matthew



***********************************************



United States Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2019

Contact: Martina McLennan
<martina_mclennan at merkley.senate.gov?subject=In%20Response%20To:%20Merkley,%20Alexander,%20Carper,%20Rounds%20Introduce%20Bipartisan%20Legislation%20to%20Create%20Monarch%20and%20Pollinator%20Highways>
/Ray Zaccaro
<ray_zaccaro at merkley.senate.gov?subject=In%20Response%20To:%20Merkley,%20Alexander,%20Carper,%20Rounds%20Introduce%20Bipartisan%20Legislation%20to%20Create%20Monarch%20and%20Pollinator%20Highways>
(Merkley) – 202-224-3753



*Merkley, Alexander, Carper, Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to
Create Monarch and Pollinator Highways*

*Bill would help revive monarch and pollinator habitat at a time when the
population of pollinators—critical to American agriculture—has dangerously
declined*



WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley joined Senators Lamar
Alexander (R-TN), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) today to
introduce new, bipartisan legislation to help states create
pollinator-friendly habitats along roads and highways. This legislation
would help address the steep decline of pollinator populations, which poses
a serious threat to American farmers and the American food supply.



Specifically, the *Monarch and Pollinator Highway (MPH) Act of 2019* would
establish a federal grant program available to state departments of
transportation and Indian tribes to carry out pollinator-friendly practices
on roadsides and highway rights-of-way.



“As monarch and honeybee populations decline precipitously, we don’t just
risk losing these beautiful creatures—we also face an existential threat to
American agriculture and our food supply,” *said Merkley*. “Every state
already contains thousands of miles of green space around roads and
highways. If we transformed just a fraction of this land back to natural
pollinator habitat, we could make a real difference to pollinator
populations. This is a bipartisan, common-sense idea that the Senate should
adopt without delay.”



“Pollinators, especially bees, are vital to creating and maintaining the
habitats and ecosystems that we rely on to produce our food. This bill will
help states promote highway beautification and preservation of these
pollinator habitats along roadways,” *Alexander said*. “The Tennessee
Department of Transportation’s Pollinator Habitat Program is one of the
nation’s best state efforts in building and maintaining pollinator habitats
along all of its state-maintained roadways. If this legislation were to
become law, the Tennessee Department of Transportation could apply for
federal funding to continue expanding their Pollinator Habitat Program.”



“Monarch butterflies and other pollinators serve an indispensable role in
our natural ecosystems, and their population decline poses a profound
threat to both American food supply and to the economic success of farmers
in Delaware and throughout the country,” *said Carper, top Democrat on the
Environment and Public Works Committee*. “Through the use of competitive
grants and assistance to communities, this bipartisan bill will take
meaningful, innovative steps towards building up pollinator habitats along
our nation’s roads and highways – helping our natural environment and our
nation’s agricultural industry at the same time. I want to thank Senators
Merkley, Alexander and Rounds for their leadership on this urgent issue.”



“Bees play a vital role in making sure food gets on our table, acting as
pollinators for approximately one-third of all agricultural products in the
U.S. Our legislation seeks to use innovation and targeted conservation
practices to protect and improve bees’ natural habitat so they can continue
to provide this essential service and make certain future generations of
crops and plants are produced,” *said Rounds.*



“With so much of our natural landscape lost the millions of acres of
roadsides across the US have become increasingly important as pollinator
habitat,” *said Scott Black, Executive Director of the Xerces Society for
Invertebrate Conservation.* “The Xerces Society is excited to support
the *Monarch
and Pollinator Highway (MPH) Act of 2019* which will provide much needed
funding for states to maximize habitat management and restoration for these
vital animals.”



“Pollinators are in great peril, with populations that have dropped
precipitously in recent decades. Protecting pollinator habitat along
roadways is one helpful step in combating this rapid decline of bees and
butterflies,” *said Jason Davidson, Food and Agriculture Campaigner at
Friends of the Earth.*



*MPH Act* grants could be used for:



   - The planting and seeding of native, locally-appropriate grasses,
   wildflowers, and milkweed;
   - Mowing strategies that promote early successional vegetation and limit
   disturbance during periods of highest use by target pollinator species;
   - Implementation of an integrated vegetation management approach to
   address weed and pest issues;
   - Removing nonnative grasses from planting and seeding mixes except for
   use as nurse or cover crops; or
   - Any other pollinator-friendly practices the Secretary of
   Transportation determines will be eligible.



The bill also requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to help
states develop best practices around pollinator-friendly roads and
highways. The bill would require DOT to develop and make available to state
departments of transportation a prioritization ranking of
pollinator-friendly practices on roadsides and highway rights-of-way, and
to provide technical assistance to states that request it.



The *MPH Act* comes as the population of monarch butterflies, honeybees,
and other pollinators face dangerous declines. Western U.S. monarch
populations hit a record low in 2018, with one researcher describing the
drop as “potentially catastrophic.”
<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/science/monarch-butterfly-california.html>
The honeybee population has also seen dramatic declines in recent years,
with a 40% year-over-year decline between 2018 and 2019, and one expert
describing repeated year-over-year losses as “unsustainably high.”
<https://abcnews.go.com/US/40-decline-honey-bee-population-winter-unsustainable-experts/story?id=64191609>
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that approximately 35% of the
world’s food crops
<https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/>
depend on pollinators for survival.



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