[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S7537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S7537]]
                   POLLINATOR HABITAT PROTECTION ACT

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President I rise today to speak about S. 1496, the 
Pollinator Habitat Protection Act, which I introduced on May 24. 
Pulitzer Prize-winning insect biologist E.O. Wilson said the honeybee 
is nature's ``workhorse--and we took it for granted.'' That statement 
sums up the state of the Nation's honey bee.
  Our Nation's honeybees are being affected by a phenomenon named 
colony collapse disorder, and the symptoms are baffling. Since October 
2006, 35 percent or more of the United States' population of the 
Western honeybee--billions of individual bees--simply flew from their 
hives and disappeared.
  We don't know what is causing their disappearance. The honeybee is an 
active pollinator for both agriculture and native plants. It is used 
commercially to pollinate crops across the country, and some crops, 
like apples and almonds, will not produce fruit without the assistance 
of the honeybee. My home State of Montana is the country's fifth 
largest honey-producing State. Without bees, Montana would not produce 
our famous huckleberries.
  During busy years, a hive might make up to five cross-country trips, 
following the crop blooming cycles. Scientists are speculating that the 
bees are stressed from making cross-country journeys and are being 
attacked by viruses and parasites. Either way, this is an emergency 
situation, and we have to do something now.
  That is why I am introducing the Pollinator Habitat Protection Act. 
This bill is simple and it makes sense. It is the right thing to do.
  Through the use of the existing conservation programs in the farm 
bill, agricultural producers would receive incentives to rebuild 
natural habitat with flowering plants to benefit pollinators such as 
honey bees. For example, instead of planting straight grass, a producer 
could plant clover, alfalfa, or other native flowering plants on land 
enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.
  Perhaps this bill's most attractive feature is that it does not cost 
additional money or create a new program. It simply requires existing 
conservation programs to acknowledge pollinator habitat as a 
conservation resource and rewards producers whose conservation 
practices are beneficial for pollinators.
  When the budget is tight, it is better to improve existing programs 
rather than create new ones. This is a dramatic important improvement 
for our conservation programs.
  It is not often we can protect our environment and increase 
producer's income at the same time. But that is exactly what this bill 
will do. This is one simple way to help out our honeybee population and 
give farmers another option to make money on their land.
  As a honorary cochair of the Pollinator Partnership, I am honored to 
introduce this legislation. I thank organizations like the Coevolution 
Institute which are doing the right thing, by bringing a diverse group 
of people together from across the country to address this challenging 
issue.
  I urge my colleagues to support S. 1496 the Pollinator Habitat 
Protection Act.

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