MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Monday vetoed a bill meant to protect bees and other pollinators from toxic pesticides called neonicotinoids, or neonics.
H.706 would have banned one of the most-used pesticides in the country which the Vermont Public Interest Research Group says is toxic to birds and bees, and can leach into soil and waterways.
But the governor said the bill could produce serious economic consequences, particularly for the state’s dairy farmers.
In a letter to the General Assembly, Scott said, in part: “This bill unfairly targets dairy farmers reliant on corn crops and will harm farmers without achieving its goals for pollinators. For these reasons I cannot sign it into law.”