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EPANonrulemakingEPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0806

Pollinator Health Task Force; Notice of Public Meeting

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Agricultural Retailers Association filed 1 comment on this docket between Dec 19, 2014 and Dec 19, 2014. 52 other organizations filed here. The comment window closed 4264d ago.

What Agricultural Retailers Association filed (1)

Dec 19, 2014· Comment submitted by Daren Coppock, President & CEO, Agricultural Retailers Association· EPA-HQ-OPP-2014-0806-0062

EPA and USDA need to make a more serious effort to collect stakeholder comment. A webinar inside Washington DC with only one week's notice in the Federal Register makes it very difficult for stakeholders to comment. Absent a more sincere effort, these sessions serve to check the box that comment was sought, but fall short of actually seeking it. The task force's efforts should be guided by an overriding emphasis on applicable science. Varroa mites are not the only contributing factor to pollinator health problems, but they are obviously a major factor and the solutions need to focus on them as primary causes. Bee health science points to them as significant factors, and so does what could be considered a control case in Australia for comparison purposes: no varroa mites in Australia and no colony collapse disorder. This comparison is strong empirical evidence of the significance of varroa mites to pollinator health. The conclusion that the government cannot do this alone is appropriate, as is the conclusion to pursue partnerships to leverage the effort. As the task force considers recommendations from commenters, you should insist that scientific justifications be either provided or developed to support the recommendations. Recommendations based on innuendo, nonscientific decisions elsewhere in the world, and social media hype that are not supported by science must be discarded in favor of measures that can be justified and evaluated by scientific methods. If there is a way for your conference call moderator to identify which callers are responsible for the noise and kick them off the call, that would be very helpful for future virtual listening sessions. Daren Coppock President & CEO Agricultural Retailers Association

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Abstract

As part of the U.S. Government’s efforts to promote the health of honey bees and other pollinators, the Pollinator Health Task Force is soliciting stakeholder input on best management practices, public private partnerships, research, education opportunities, pollinator habitat improvements, and other actions that the Task Force should consider in developing a federal strategy to reverse pollinator losses and help restore populations to healthy levels.

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