2019-12-12 Letter to Aaron Chung re Veto of Bill 101 relating to Herbicide Use

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COUNTY OF HAWAII .:6`"-'''� .�' STATE OF HAWAII BILL NO. 101 (DRAFT 2) ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 14, HAWAII COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), BY ADDING A NEW ARTICLE 24, RELATING TO HERBICIDE USE. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. Chapter 14, Hawai`i County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as amended), is amended by adding a new article to be designated article 24 and to read as follows: "Article 24. Use of herbicides in Hawaii County parks, roads, bikeways, sidewalks, trails, drainageways, and waterways prohibited. Section 14-141. Findings and purpose. The council finds that herbicides are heavily used to control vegetation in public places such as parks, roads, bikeways, sidewalks, trails, drainageways, and waterways. Exposure to these substances subjects the public, County workers, domestic animals, and wildlife to a high risk of exposure to dangerous chemicals. For instance, the World Health Organization has listed glyphosate, a commonly used herbicide, as a probable carcinogen. To protect the community from exposure to harmful chemicals, it is the purpose of this ordinance to promote and ultimately require the County to use other means besides the application of prohibited herbicides, to control vegetation in public spaces. To accomplish this end, this ordinance creates a list of prohibited herbicides, establishes a prohibition against their use by the County after a four-year transition period, and creates a vegetation management transition committee that will oversee the County's efforts to develop viable alternatives to the use of prohibited herbicides. At the end of the four-year transition period, the ban on County use of prohibited herbicides on the list will take effect and the transition committee will cease to exist. It is not the purpose of this ordinance to affect the use of prohibited herbicides by persons or entities other than the County. Section 14-142. Definitions. As used in this article, unless otherwise specified: "Eco-friendly products and methods" means products and methods that the County has determined are safe for use on County owned or maintained public parks and along all County owned or maintained roads, bikeways, sidewalks, trails, drainageways, and waterways.