Bill Text: NY S07315 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides for best practices and management policies, and increased awareness regarding the protection of the pollinator population in the state.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE [S07315 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-S07315-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7315 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE May 19, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Agricul- ture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to pollina- tor protection The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature finds that the 2 protection of pollinators, including both wild pollinators and managed 3 bees, is of critical importance to the environment and to all agricul- 4 tural industries in the state. To address the losses of managed pollina- 5 tor colonies observed by beekeepers in the early part of this century, 6 the department of agriculture and markets and the department of environ- 7 mental conservation adopted the New York state pollinator protection 8 plan in June, 2016, with the goal of developing a plan for New York 9 state to protect, conserve and increase pollinators in the state. The 10 New York state pollinator protection plan identifies best management 11 practices, habitat enhancement projects, research, and outreach and 12 education as critical to reversing declining pollinator populations. The 13 plan increases awareness of the health issues challenging the pollinator 14 community among all parties that interface with pollinators. The New 15 York state pollinator protection plan recognizes that the single great- 16 est threat to pollinators are the diseases that currently exist among 17 the bee population, and control of those diseases is the best remedy to 18 address a decline in pollinator populations. However, the New York state 19 pollinator protection plan also outlines better ways of doing business 20 for those entities engaged in activities that can affect pollinator 21 viability, as well as ways to enhance and create habitats to support and 22 increase New York's pollinator population. The New York state pollinator 23 protection plan achieves that goal through the development and recommen- 24 dation of best management practices for all sectors of the agricultural EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD09172-01-3S. 7315 2 1 industry that manage and use pollinators, and all other parties whose 2 activities may impact pollinators. This legislation will provide addi- 3 tional guidance to all parties who may impact pollinators on actions 4 that must be taken to preserve and protect New York's pollinator popu- 5 lation. 6 § 2. Article 15-A of the agriculture and markets law is renumbered 7 article 15-B and a new article 15-A is added to read as follows: 8 ARTICLE 15-A 9 POLLINATOR PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT 10 Section 175-e. Definitions. 11 175-f.Use of best management practices. 12 175-g. Communication regarding pollinators. 13 175-h. Best management practices for eliminating insecticide 14 dust. 15 175-i. Public access to information. 16 175-j. Updating best management practices. 17 175-k. Rules and regulations. 18 § 175-e. Definitions. When used in this article: 19 1. "Pollinator protection plan" shall mean the plan entitled the "New 20 York state pollinator protection plan" adopted by the department and the 21 department of environmental conservation in June two thousand sixteen, 22 as updated in June two thousand eighteen, December two thousand twenty, 23 and from time to time thereafter. 24 2. "Best management practices" shall mean the methods and techniques 25 used to achieve a desired outcome in an efficient and cost-effective 26 manner. Best management practices in this article shall be consistent 27 with the best management practices adopted in the pollinator protection 28 plan. 29 § 175-f. Use of best management practices. Best management practices, 30 including those prescribed by an integrated pest management program, 31 shall be used by all parties whose activities may impact pollinators, 32 including but not limited to beekeepers, contract beekeepers, landowners 33 and growers, pesticide users and the executive agencies of the state. 34 § 175-g. Communication regarding pollinators. Best management prac- 35 tices for pollinator protection shall include the development of proto- 36 cols to increase communication between beekeepers, farmers and growers, 37 and pesticide applicators. The communication protocols shall include, 38 but not be limited to education and outreach to beekeepers, farmers and 39 growers and pesticide applicators, and the best management practices 40 shall require that specific communications be employed to share informa- 41 tion about pollinators among those parties. 42 § 175-h. Best management practices for eliminating insecticide dust. 43 On or before January first, two thousand twenty-four, the department, in 44 consultation with the department of environmental conservation and New 45 York state's land grant university, shall develop best management prac- 46 tices for minimizing the airborne liberation of insecticide dust from 47 seeds coated or treated with an insecticide and mitigating the effects 48 of such dust on pollinators. Such best practices shall include, but not 49 be limited to: 50 1. methods to minimize such dust when treated seeds are dispensed from 51 a seed bag into seed planter equipment; 52 2. guidance on the positioning of the vacuum system discharge of seed 53 planter equipment to direct such discharge towards the soil; 54 3. time frames for the mowing of flowering vegetation located next to 55 crop fields;S. 7315 3 1 4. identification of weather conditions that minimize drift of such 2 dust; and 3 5. suggestions for the use of seed lubricants to effectively minimize 4 the drift of such dust. 5 § 175-i. Public access to information. Best management practices 6 developed in accordance with this article shall be available to the 7 individuals required to use such best management practices, and to the 8 general public, on the department's website within thirty days of the 9 adoption of such best management practices. 10 § 175-j. Updating best management practices. In every update of the 11 pollinator protection plan, the plan's best management practices shall 12 be reviewed and updated to take into account new research and informa- 13 tion on pollinators and the evolution of new strategies for improving 14 pollinator health. If there is no update of the pollinator protection 15 plan in a five-year period, the best management practices shall be 16 reviewed and updated in the same manner in which updates of the pollina- 17 tor protection plan are developed. The commissioner and the commissioner 18 of environmental conservation shall consult, as needed, with New York 19 state's land grant university when updating the pollinator protection 20 plan. 21 § 175-k. Rules and regulations. The commissioner is hereby authorized 22 to adopt, promulgate and issue such rules and regulations as the commis- 23 sioner may deem necessary to carry out and give full force and effect to 24 the provisions of this article. 25 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 26 have become a law.