Review of Bee Health

From EPA’s Action Initiation List: Data Requirements for Non-target Insect Pollinators

September 4, 2015

EPA’s Action Initiation List (AIL) is a list of agency actions “that 1) will appear in our upcoming Semiannual Regulatory Agenda and 2) have been approved for commencement by EPA’s Regulatory Policy Officer.” The following is from the September 1st, 2015 update to the agency’s current AIL,

Title: Data Requirements for Non-target Insect Pollinators

Projected Publication Date: 12 months or less

Abstract:

Data Requirements for Non-target Insect Pollinators

EPA is considering a proposal to update and codify the data requirements needed to characterize the potential risks of pesticides to bees and other insect pollinators. Pollinator insects are ecologically and economically important, and the data requirements under consideration are intended to provide the information the Agency needs to evaluate whether a proposed or existing use of a pesticide may have an unreasonable adverse effect on these important insects. This action may include updates to existing data requirements, the addition of new data requirements, or both, and is intended to support both the registration and registration review of pesticides. This is another rulemaking in a series of rulemakings initiated to consider improvements to the pesticide data requirements codified in 40 CFR part 158.