PennDOT has announced a new program that aims to help revive endangered pollinator species in the state.
Thanks to recently passed legislation, vehicle owners in Pennsylvania will now be able to purchase a pollinator license plate for their cars and trucks.
The program will donate 65 percent of the proceeds from the license plate to the Pollinator Habitat Program Fund. The remaining amount will be used to cover the cost of producing the license plates, according to PennDOT.
The Pollinator license plate is available for passenger cars or trucks with a registered gross weight of not more than 14,000 pounds.
The license plate contains the standard Pennsylvania license plate colors of blue, white, and gold and depicts an image of a monarch butterfly, honeybee, and green sweat bee visiting a flower.
Those applying to get the pollinator license plate must submit a completed Form MV-911, “Application for Special Fund Registration Plate.”
The Pollinator Habitat Program Fund is intended to assist ongoing initiatives to boost insect populations in the state that fertilize plant life. For bees, butterflies, beetles, and other insects that might have been negatively impacted by the loss of their native habitat, the fund will establish naturalized gardens and meadows filled with pollinator-friendly types of flowering plants. These insects will have a chance to thrive in these reclaimed regions if there are more flowering plants there. The initiative also seeks to stop the decline of species like the monarch butterfly that are categorized as vulnerable or endangered by the federal government.
“The importance of supporting a healthy pollinator population in Pennsylvania – a state that depends on agriculture as part of its economy – cannot be overstated. Developing habitats for this important group of insects contributes to both the environmental and economic health of our Commonwealth, and PennDOT is proud to offer a license plate to help support these important efforts,” said PennDOT Acting Secretary Mike Carroll.
“Pollinators are critical to the environment and to feeding Pennsylvanians,” said Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “One out of every three bites we eat is made possible because of pollinators and their role in promoting biodiversity and plant health in our food system, and this pollinator license plate is a way for us to help grow and sustain plant and pollinator life.”
