[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 83 (Friday, May 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN SUPPORT OF THE HIGHWAYS BETTER THE ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT ACT OF 
                                  2014

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 30, 2014

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Act with my Co-Chairman 
of the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus, Representative Jeff 
Denham. This bi-partisan bill provides much-needed aid for the birds, 
bats, bees and butterflies that pollinate our food.
  The Highways BEE Act seeks no new monies and involves a limited 
federal role.
  This bill provides for existing authorities and finding sources to 
incorporate integrated vegetation management practices along America's 
highways, which includes things like reduced mowing and replacing 
invasive plant species with native forbs and grasses. This kind of 
roadside vegetation management provides much-needed habitat for 
pollinators and other small nesting animals.
  The Association of American State Highway and Transportation 
Officials Vegetation Management Guidelines advances integrated 
vegetation management principles and recommendations consistent with 
the objectives of this legislation. A number of states, including 
Minnesota are already doing this and reporting maintenance cost savings 
of 20 to 25 percent from reduced mowing alone.
  Mr. Speaker, there are around 17 million acres of land where 
significant reductions in mowing and maintenance can reduce costs for 
cash-strapped states. The millions of acres of agriculture and wildlife 
ecosystems adjacent to these roadways will benefit from the increased 
pollinator habitat resulting from integrated vegetation management 
practices.
  To understand how worried we should be about declining pollinator 
populations, consider that rising global food prices have been the 
primary topic of discussion at recent G-20 meetings. This is the first 
time that agriculture has had the top spot at a meeting and is 
indicative of how serious the issue is. Food prices have already led to 
global riots overseas and a declining pollinator population will only 
make the situation worse. Seventy-five percent of all flowering plant 
species rely on creatures like birds, bats, bees and butterflies for 
fertilization. One out of every three bites of food that we eat, as 
well as $20 billion of products in the United States alone, derive from 
pollinators.
  If we don't solve these problems soon, we won't have any bees. 
Without bees, we won't have any food. The benefit to cost balance in 
the case of this bill is an easy choice.

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