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rcnruaty t997 t knvironment Hawa7i ~ Page 5
<br /> ---oftheoveralldevelopmentofdivetsifiedHa- r prospect of having Hawaiian fruit be
<br /> ~jry-gdjat jpy~ raiianagriculture. As forponaldIau,wewill ...adiated in a prototype Gray*Scar facility.
<br />
<br /> from page ¢ besendinghimaquesdonnaireandwillwoik A reseazch agreement chat Gray*Sxaz was
<br /> wirhhiminthedevelopmentofanirradiation negotiatingwichcheUSDA,Mazulliwroce,
<br /> contact his office if we can be of any assis- program for his products.° "allows us to conduct, on a limited basis,
<br /> Lance." In June x996, Wong learned that Wash- the irradiation of research samples pro-
<br /> From x994 rothe pre=ens, intact, Fox and ington scare had rejected a tentative proposal vided by potential industrial customers. I
<br /> Ching, now a priva~r consultant, appeaz to from Hawaii to ship Hawaiian fruits ro believe, but I can't promise, that we may be
<br /> have beenworkingcloselywithWongonthe Hanford, Washington, forirradiadonrkrere. able to set up a program for next year's
<br /> irradiation facility issue. In September x995, In a memo to Marulli of June z6, whose shipping season where the bulk of your
<br /> for example, Ching drafred a letter, for subject was "Why we need a Gray*Star," shipments could be done in the prototype
<br /> Inouye's signature, co the administrator of Wong informed Marulli of this decision: faciliryatnoorminimalcostxothegrowers.
<br /> the USDA'sAnimalandPlantHealthInspec- "Bad news: Washington State won't allow Wecouldalsoworkwithyourgrouptofind
<br /> Lion Service (APHIS), urging APHIS to exile- untreated Hawaii papaya into the Hanford new outlets For irradiated Hawaiian prod-
<br /> dice the Wile-making process for a so-called area fearing the fruit could be a source of acts in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey/New
<br /> "generic" irradiation process for any and all medflies... Good news: Affimtative answer to York azea. Two more potential reasons to
<br /> fruits suspected of being host co the varieties question, does Hawaii need an irradiator?" get that Preliminary Purchase Agreement
<br /> of fruit flies found in Hawaii. Two months signed as soon as possible."
<br /> lacer, Ching suggested that Wong attempt to
<br /> obtain USDAmatchingfunds forthe mazkec- "We may be able to set up Approval
<br /> ing of irradiated fruit. a program for nextyears On November r, Wong sent a memo to
<br /> ~ S ~ shipping season where the bulk Nakatani, recommending he sign that "pre-
<br /> liminary purrl+a cPagreemen~." Nakataniwas
<br /> • afyour shipments could be done cold that commercial units would not be
<br /> Stepped-Up Action in the prototype
<br /> facility at no or ,available until all testing was completed,
<br /> minimal cast to thegrowers. 'which would take at least two years. Still,
<br /> r996wasayeazinwhichWongredoubledhis Wong wrote, "Hawai`i has an option to
<br /> ahead considerable efforts to brin an irra- ~ could also work with
<br /> Y g reserve the seventh Gray`Srar co go into
<br /> diacion plant to Hawaii. Shipments of fruit yourgroup to find nett! outlets production. Given Hawai`i's need fora com-
<br /> to Chicago increased, as did the state's efforts for irradiated Hawaiian products m~4' tteattrtenc facility, Hawaii should
<br /> co find new distribution and retail outlets for exercise this option."
<br /> in the Penrtsylvania/NewJersey/
<br /> the produce. Buc probably the most signifi- One week later, Wong fotwazded co
<br /> cant development was the state s signing an New York area. " Nakatarti three espies of the agreement for
<br /> agreementwithGra}~`Staz,Inc.,developerof -AILI'larttlli, Gray*,$tarsales rep Nakarani's signature. In a covering memo,
<br /> a new cesium-based irradiation technology, Wong stated that Gray*Star is "one option
<br /> that gives the state the right offitst refusal for for Hawaii. Alrematives are being explored,
<br /> purchase of the seventh Gray*Staz irradiator Two days lacer, Wong provided Jon including an X-ray unit recently tested by
<br /> to be built OkudaraofcheExoricPescInsectCommittee Isomedix in Florida, a superconducting lin-
<br /> The agreement was signed by the state a list of reasons for "reserving a unit" for eaz accelerator under development in Texas,
<br /> direcror of the Deparzmenc of Agriculture, Ha•,vai is In a memo to Okudara dated June and cobalt-6o. Hawai`i should be in a posi-
<br /> Nakacani, on November t5, x996. The sign- z8, Wong mentioned that Gray*Srar "will Lion to decide on a suitable unit in approxi-
<br /> ing was the culmination of nearly a year's waivethesro,ooodeposit"itnormallywould matelynvoyears."
<br /> worth of effort by Alberz Marulli, a former require of anyone wanting co hold a spot in
<br /> USDA-APHIS employee who also is a con- the line. $ $ $
<br /> suhanc to the produce industry and sales "Gray*Scaz has an agreement with a com-
<br /> agentfor Gray'"Staz. pany in Cincinnati to fabricate the first unit Meanwhile, in I
<br /> h10...
<br /> After corresponding with Wong, Manilli and this will srarz in a few weeks after the
<br /> visited Hawaii in May x996, where he met completion of a drop test of a scale model," In r99z, Senator Inouye placed in the federal
<br /> with growersanddistriburors.Inafollow-up Wongwrote."Once completed andthefind- Department of Defense appropriation for
<br /> letter to Wong on May 30, Maru(li men- ings ate a go for commercal producxion, the 1993 fiscal yeaz more than s9oo,o0o that
<br /> tinned that hewas especiallyglad to have met getting a unit will likely be impossible for was to be spent in Hawai i in support of
<br /> with Peter Houle of Hawaiian Produce and years ro come as the Gray*Staroffers a design efforts to rejuvenate Hawai`i's flagging agti-
<br /> Processing, on the Big Island, and Donald that is more economical than a ctaditional cultural industry, especially along the Big
<br /> Lau of Palama Meat Co., Inc., on Oahu. wbalt unit or a machine source. Cottse- Island's Hamakua Coast. Among [he restric-
<br /> "Perer Houle has already called our head- quendy, if the design proves to be a winner, bons on useof funds is that they not be spent
<br /> quarzers office in Mt. Arlington, New Jersey, customers are sure to line up for units faster in support of experimental or research
<br /> and expressed an interest in reserving a than we can get on the list in a traditional projects. Decisions on how to distribute the
<br /> Gray"Star unit for use on the Big Island," fashion...Soi~ sbestthatwetakeadvancageof money were to be made by the board of a
<br /> Marulli wrote. "However, we are delaying the Gray"Scar offer and get on the list. Taz- group called the Department of Defense
<br /> atw commitments to individual companies geted cost, less than sz million (acnrally, Oversight Committee, whose members are
<br /> in Hawai' i until,vour state agency has had an about sr.3 million)." selected by Inouye.
<br /> uppormnin'toreviewthesituarioninterms InJuly,MarulliwasholdingouttoWong See"l,rndiarlon':pngeG
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