Code Section

12838.  

(a) On or before July 1, 2018, the department shall issue a determination with respect to its reevaluation of neonicotinoids.

(b) (1) Within two years after making the determination specified in subdivision (a), the department shall adopt any control measures necessary to protect pollinator health.

(2) If the department is unable to adopt the necessary control measures within two years as required in paragraph (1), the department shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature setting forth the reasons the requirement of paragraph (1) has not been met.

(3) The department shall update the report submitted to the appropriate committees of the Legislature pursuant to paragraph (2) every year until the department adopts the necessary control measures specified in paragraph (1).

(c) (1) For purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions apply:

(A) “Cumulative impacts of exposure” means the collective impact of exposure to two or more neonicotinoid pesticides.

(B) “Neonicotinoid pesticide” means a pesticide containing acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, or any other chemical designated by the department as belonging to the neonicotinoid class of chemicals.

(2) Beginning January 1, 2025, a person shall not sell, possess, or use a pesticide containing one or more neonicotinoid pesticides for any use that is excluded from the definition of “agricultural use” in Section 11408 on nonproduction outdoor ornamental plants, trees, or turf, with the exception of use and possession by state certified applicators and sale by state licensed pest control dealers.

(3) The department shall evaluate, at a minimum, the potential impacts of the neonicotinoid pesticide uses described in paragraph (2) on pollinating insects, aquatic organisms, and human health, taking into account relevant routes of exposure, as follows:

(A) On or before January 1, 2024, the department shall issue a draft human health risk assessment of imidacloprid.

(B) On or before July 1, 2024, the department shall initiate a reevaluation of neonicotinoid pesticides relative to pollinating insects, aquatic organisms, and human health, taking into account relevant routes of exposure.

(C) On or before January 1, 2025, the department shall issue a final human health risk assessment for imidacloprid.

(D) On or before January 1, 2025, the department shall issue draft human health risk assessments for the neonicotinoid chemicals described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) other than imidacloprid.

(E) On or before July 1, 2025, the department shall issue an evaluation of the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides on aquatic organisms.

(F) On or before January 1, 2026, the department shall issue final human health risk assessments for the neonicotinoid chemicals described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) other than imidacloprid.

(G) On or before July 1, 2027, the department shall issue a determination with respect to the reevaluation of neonicotinoid pesticides on their impacts to pollinating insects, aquatic organisms, and human health.

(4) On or before July 1, 2029, the department shall adopt any necessary control measures for the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that are determined by the department to be necessary, based on the evaluations described in paragraph (3).

(5) If the department is unable to meet any deadline required in paragraph (3) or (4), the department shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature setting forth the reasons the deadline or deadlines have not been met.

(6) In performing the evaluations described in paragraph (3), the department shall consider the cumulative impacts of exposure to multiple neonicotinoid pesticides unless the department can demonstrate with substantial evidence that one or more neonicotinoid pesticides do not share a common mechanism of toxicity and do not present risk of cumulative harm.

(7) The department is not required to conduct a reevaluation of any use of neonicotinoid pesticides for the protection of agricultural commodities, as defined in Section 6000 of Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations.