Ban on Imidacloprid Use Grows - Except at DOE: Apply it on more acres, apply it more often.

Where have all the flowers gone?

Shellfish growers don't care.

Maybe they will if you stop

buying oysters from
Willapa Bay.

Bans continue to grow, except in Willapa Bay
The number of agencies and retailers who are implementing a ban on the use of the pesticide imidacloprid continues to grow. Most recently, Lowe's has agreed to stop selling neonicotinoid pesticides, of which imidacloprid is one. April 1, the City of Portland issued an immediate ban on its use. The Oregon Legislature currently has two bills before it which would eliminate its use. The US Fish and Wildlife agency  has banned their use on wildlife refuges across the United States. The European Commission, in 2013, banned the use of imidacloprid. April 8 the NY Times reported a  European Academies Science Advisory Council report stated imidacloprid:

“has severe effects on a range of organisms that provide ecosystem services like pollination and natural pest control, as well as on biodiversity,”

DOE - Spray it on more acres with more intensity
The Department of Ecology's viewpoint? In their recently released Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) they have simply agreed with the shellfish growers in Willapa Bay who want to use it on more acres and in increasing intensity.

there would likely be a larger number of imidacloprid application events each year over a longer authorized application period (p.2-58, FEIS)

Growers have requested larger annual treatment acreage under the imidacloprid permit (2,000 acres) compared to the carbaryl permit (800 acres). It is possible that over the five-year term of the permit, the total acreage to be treated within Willapa Bay could range from 1,500 to 7,500 acres, and in Grays Harbor could range from 500 to 2,500 acres. (p. 1-6, FEIS)

Get involved. The shellfish industry is and agencies are not willing to stand up to them. You can start by not buying oysters harvested from Willapa Bay. You can also sign the petition created by Willapa Bay's Westport Salmon Tales.