Is ELAP About Getting Beekeepers To Go To The Trough

When It Comes To The Environment, Are The Foxes In The Hen House?

There have been a lot of developments since the last segment of The Neonicotinoid View. Evidently, being at the helm of EPA is not an easy job that is free from serious consequences and controversy. EPA’s Scott Pruitt has resigned. Secondly, has industry infiltrated bee health advocacy groups? Are US research labs missing the mark when it comes to neonicotinoids? Also, we’re going to talk about the increasing number of incidents in which drinking water is contaminated and lastly, we’re going to talk about the effects of conservation enhancements. To listen to this week’s segment, press the play button below. 

“The Neonicotinoid View” which is produced by The Organic View Radio Show is unique, weekly program that explores the impact of neonicotinoids on the environment. Tune in each week as June and Tom explore the latest research and news from the beekeeping community.

Resign and Repeat?

Scott Pruitt’s Replacement, Andrew Wheeler

Andrew Wheeler

If you simply google the name Andrew Wheeler, you will find a myriad of news articles across the board that have clearly labeled him as a friend of Big Coal and a foe for the environment. What he will do remains to be seen. According to an article in Fortune Magazine which highlighted his accomplishments, here is what we do know about Mr. Wheeler:

• Worked for EPA for almost 20 years.
• Served as an advisor to Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), strong critic of climate protection policy.
• Wheeler is currently listed as a consulting principal at international law firm Faegre Baker Daniels.
• Worked as an energy sector lobbyist, perhaps most notably for Murray Energy Company, one of the nation’s largest coal mining companies, according to The Washington Post. 
• He has lobbied for Whirlpool, Sargento, and a number of other chemical and big oil interests, according to records compiled by ProPublica. The non-profit news organization notes that during his tenure on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, “[Wheeler] worked on every major piece of environmental and energy-related legislation before Congress for over a decade.”
• While working as a lobbyist, Wheeler worked, along with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, to open part of Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument for uranium mining.
• According to the National Resources Defense Council, he served as the vice president of the Washington Coal Club, an organization made up of 300 coal producers, lawmakers, and energy industry executives.

Beekeeping Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: AKA ELAP

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP Program)

According to FSA.USDA, the ELAP program provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary. ELAP assistance is provided for losses not covered by other disaster assistance programs authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, such as losses not covered by the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).

Corporate Welfare

The bottom line:

• It’s taxpayer money to compensate beekeepers for losses due to the carelessness of the pesticide manufacturers. 
• It’s privatizing the profits and socializing the costs.