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PORT OF THE <br /> COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE,WATER, <br /> ENERGY,AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT <br /> DATE: October 15, 2019 Re: Comm.No. 489/Bill No. 101 <br /> PLACE: Council Chambers <br /> Hilo, Hawaii <br /> TIME: 1:05 p.m. <br /> Council Chair and Members <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> Your Committee on Agriculture, Water, Energy, and Environmental Management(AWEEM),to <br /> which was referred Bill No. 101, reports as follows: <br /> Bill No. 101, transmitted by Council Member Villegas via Communication No. 489 dated <br /> August 29, 2019, seeks to amend Chapter 14, Hawaii County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as <br /> amended), by adding a new article to be designated article 24, relating to herbicide use. <br /> After approximately 3 hours of testimony in support of Bill 101, Council Member Villegas <br /> started the discussion by introducing Ms. Autumn Ness, Beyond Pesticides Outreach and <br /> Program Director, who shared the presentation entitled"Transitioning to a Pesticide-Free <br /> County". Mr. Blake Watson added to the presentation which provided a vast amount of <br /> information with examples of success from different municipalities, including Maui County. <br /> Prohibiting the use of herbicides on County of Hawaii property will likely be costly and not <br /> simple but identified necessary to become a pesticide-free county; soil testing and detailed <br /> training for County staff on location-specific product purchases necessary to follow mandate. It <br /> was said that many parks on the Island of Maui have different procedures with different products <br /> based on its specific location and soil make up. <br /> Questions were posed by Council Members to Ms.Ness and Mr. Watson about their <br /> backgrounds, expertise, incompatible comparisons provided in the presentation, and a specific <br /> request for a detailed description of each product listed in the "Schedule of Prohibited <br /> Herbicides Discussion continued with a direct request to Council Member Villegas to commit <br /> to incorporating the suggestions provided by Big Island Invasive Species Council (BIISC); <br /> specifically for invasive species control measures to work in conjunction with the proposed <br /> herbicide ban. Council Member Villegas was not willing to commit to any changes at this time, <br /> however both Ms. Ness and Mr. Watson felt it would be possible. Council Member Villegas <br /> informed that prior to formalizing proposed bill, meetings were held with Directors and Deputy <br /> Directors of County Departments of Environmental Management(DEM), Public Works (DPW), <br /> and Parks and Recreation(P&R)to allow for opportunities to identify both challenges and <br /> opportunities involved with the herbicide ban. <br /> AWEEMC Report No.: 10 <br />