For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
Despite President Trump’s regulatory moratorium, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was successful in listing the rusty patched bumble bee as an Endangered Species in January. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released the following statement:
“It’s incredibly important that the rusty patched bumble bee is officially an Endangered species because it needs the protection. Bees are an important part of our ecosystem and play a crucial role in the pollination of our crops. They have been dying in record numbers and we’re concerned we could see bees go extinct. This would have devastating effects on ecosystems across the country but also on our food supply. Without bees, there won’t be any blueberries or other important crops that New Jersey relies on.
“Instead of delaying important protections, we need to be doing even more to protect all bee species. In important way to do this would be to ban the toxic chemicals that kill them including insecticides called neonicotinoids, especially imidacloprid. The EPA has even come out and admitted these toxins is killing bees. Bees are integral to our backyard gardens, our local farms, and the ecosystems we hike in every day. Without bees and their pollinating, we could see all these systems collapse. We could lose many of our important crop species as well.
“We are concerned that we’ll see more efforts by the Trump Administration to roll back protections for wildlife and the environment. The Trump Administration has made it clear that they don’t value environmental or wildlife protections or the agencies that regulate them. We need to be reducing pesticides to protect bees but Trump is more likely to side with the pesticide agencies. Bees are in dire trouble across the country and need more protection. Despite this one good decision, we’re going to see more efforts by the Trump Administration to roll back critical protections to wildlife and the environment”