Obama Administration Policy Announced to Protect Honeybee Habitat

At scale, the secret life of bees provides $15 billion in benefits to the country's agriculture industry each year.

1 minute read

May 20, 2015, 8:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Juliet Eilperin reports: "the Obama administration will announce the first National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators, a bureaucratic title for a plan to save the bee, other small winged animals and their breeding grounds."

As Eilperin explains, the plight of the bee is not honey bee is not a niche environmental concern: "While bee colonies regularly die off during winter because of stressful conditions, their sharp decline has been called a potential ecological disaster by some environmentalists and academic experts; conservative Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) described it in an interview as 'an essential thing [that] we need to pay attention to.'" Honey bees are especially critical because of their importance to many of the crops the U.S. economy depends on.

"The strategy, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, will seek to manage the way forests burned by wildfire are replanted, the way offices are landscaped and the way roadside habitats where bees feed are preserved," reports Eilperin.

The article includes more details about the decline of honeybee populations and the Obama Administrations work on the issue so far, culminating in this report.

For more information, Brad Plumer also wrote an article explaining the importance of the Obama Administration's policy. John P. Holdren also wrote an announcement of the policy for Whitehouse.gov.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015 in The Washington Post

View form second story inside Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota with escalators and model cars parked on downstairs floor.

The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall

The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.

March 21, 2024 - Governing

Houston, Texas skyline.

Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities

The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.

March 22, 2024 - Urban Edge

Historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles with large "Pan American Lofts" sign on side of building.

Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly

The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.

March 18, 2024 - Beverly Press

Street Traffic in Manhattan

New York Congestion Pricing Approved by MTA Board

The program took another step forward as the board approved a proposed pricing scheme, but lawsuits still stand in the way of full implementation.

9 minutes ago - Smart Cities Dive

White and yellow Metro Transit streetcar in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Video: Making Transit Better

How trackless trams and other innovations can make U.S. transit more efficient.

1 hour ago - CNBC Marathon

Amtrak train passing over tall trestle bridge on California coast at Gaviota Beach.

LA-to-San Francisco Night Train Closer to Reality

A train operator has entered into formal negotiations with Union Pacific to move the project forward with a projected launch date of 2025.

March 27 - SFGate

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.