Buzzing that her husband’s administration hasn’t gone far enough to ban new-style pesticides, beekeepers and environmental organizations are pleading with first lady Michelle Obama to take up their cause.
In a letter and digital “virtual swarm,” some 200,000 petition signers have called on Obama to ban the killer chemicals from the White House as a sign of support.
“We also request that you exercise your moral authority as first lady in urging the Obama administration to support meaningful protections for the pollinators,” said the letter provided to Secrets. “As an advocate for healthy children, healthy families and healthy communities, your leadership on this issue is imperative,” added the letter provided by Friends of the Earth.
U.S. News & World Report depicted Michelle Obama’s beekeeping in 2009.
The administration has been pressed for years to follow some European countries and ban neonicotinoid pesticides. Many believe they are partly responsible for bee kills. The Environmental Protection Agency this month announced a moratorium on new or expanded uses of the pesticide, but didn’t ban it.
“The bees can’t wait,” said Tiffany Finck-Haynes of Friends of the Earth.
Michelle Obama is an obvious target of the groups, being responsible for establishing the first-ever honey bee hive on the South Lawn adjacent to her vegetable garden. She also has overseen the White House kitchen’s use of honey from the hive in recipes and home-brewed beer.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
