John,

There's a massive loophole in our pesticide laws that's killing bees.

Seeds are dipped in bee-killing pesticides and planted across millions of acres, devastating bee populations in their wake. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn't consider them pesticides if they're applied as a seed coating.1

To convince the EPA to close this loophole, it's going to take a major nationwide effort, including petitions, public education, and a broad coalition of state and local allies.

So with Earth Day fast approaching, we've set a goal of raising $75,000 by midnight on April 22 to help power our work and save the bees. Will you make a donation today?

About 1 in 4 wild bee species are now facing extinction. Bees are dying at an alarming rate, and bee-killing pesticides called neonicotinoids (or neonics, for short) are a key culprit.2

Neonics can kill bees no matter how they're applied. It makes no sense to treat pesticides differently whether they're sprayed on a field or coated on a seed.

Pesticide-coated seeds are a big part of the problem -- they're planted on more than 150 million acres of U.S. farmland.3

The pesticides invade every part of the plant, including the nectar and pollen bees need to survive. But they can't survive if they're poisoned.

The EPA is responsible for regulating pesticides and making sure they are safe for the public and environment. But if a pesticide is applied as a seed coating before it's sold, then there's no EPA regulation. A total free-for-all.

With so many wild bee species on the brink of extinction, including the American bumblebee and rusty patched bumblebee, we must close the loophole that exempts pesticides applied as seed coatings from EPA oversight.

Will you donate to our Earth Day 2024 Drive today?

To save the bees, we've already made significant progress in cracking down on bee-killing pesticides.

Thanks in large part to our national network's efforts, 10 states -- home to 1 in 4 Americans -- have restrictions on bee-killing pesticides, including Colorado. But there's more to be done for the bees. Corporations like Lowe's have also joined in, committing to phasing out the sale of bee-killing neonics.4

We're urging the Biden administration to ban the most dangerous uses of bee-killing pesticides and close the loophole that exempts pesticides on seeds from regulation. Closing this loophole will be a major effort in the face of huge lobbying opposition from the pesticide industry.

We're launching our Earth Day fundraising drive to raise $75,000 to fund our work and help stop the worst uses of bee-killing pesticides -- and we're counting on your support to reach our goal.

Will you make a donation to our Earth Day 2024 Drive and help save the bees?

Thank you,

Ellen Montgomery

1. Tom Perkins, "EPA sued over pesticide-coated seeds' 'devastating impacts' on US wildlife," The Guardian, June 10, 2023.
2. Gina Cherelus, "Hundreds of North American bee species face extinction - study," Reuters, March 1, 2017.
3. Elizabeth Royte, "These widely used insecticides may be a threat to mammals too," National Geographic, February 5, 2021.
4. Wendy Wendlandt and Steve Blackledge, "What's being done to save the bees?," Environment America, October 11, 2023.

Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. Environment Colorado may transfer up to $50 per dues-paying member per year into the Environment Colorado Small Donor Committee.