A strong coalition of our Minnesota pollinator and environmental organizations with the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund met frequently and worked hard again this 2024 Legislative Session to build upon progress from 2023, when we helped pass legislation to 1) require specific Minnesota state agencies to create rules for safer disposal of seeds coated with pesticides and to 2) allow certain city governments to ban the use of "pollinator-lethal" pesticides (including neonics) within city limits with a few exceptions.
Our coalition's broader bills would have also 1) prohibited harmful and unnecessary lawn and garden uses of neonics pesticides due to the widespread harm they cause pollinators, other wildlife, and human health; 2) required the state to fill a loophole that allows pesticide-coated seeds to escape regulation; and 3) created a verification-of-need program for neonic-coated seeds, ensuring that these harmful products are only used where needed.
While we built significant momentum toward enacting these broader protections—through a coalition press event, day on the hill, and countless meetings with legislators—fierce opposition from the agrichemical industry stalled progress in the Senate. The lack of full Senate majority support also caused two other bills to narrowly fail. These were House and Senate bills to 1) responsibly and significantly limit the use of lead ammunition and ban lead tackle (HF3813 / SF3792) and to 2) prevent off-road ATV use from damaging nature trails and water sources that wildlife and plants depend on (HF2791 / SF1324). This damage is due to larger ATVs being produced, lack enforcement, and the lack of signage.
We will continue to build increased momentum and support for all these needed regulations to pass in a future session as we continue agency, legislator and public outreach.