HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0491.077 2020-2022 P/Counc
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DAVID Y.IGE PHYLLIS SHIMABUKURO-GEISER
Governor ,`,
Chairperson,Board of Agriculture
JOSH GREEN : _ MORRIS M.ATTA
Lt.Governor
Deputy to the Chairperson
State of Hawaii
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
1428 South King Street
Honolulu,Hawaii 96814-2512
Phone: (808)973-9600 FAX: (808)973-9613 j
TESTIMONY OF PHYLLIS SHIMABUKURO-GEISER I
CHAIRPERSON, BOARD OF AGRICULTURE
BEFORE THE COUNTY COUNCIL, COUNTY OF HAWAII9
DECEMBER 8, 2021 a
1:00 P.M.
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BILL 91: AMENDS CHAPTER 15, HAWAII COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS
AMENDED), BY ADDING A NEW ARTICLE 12 PROHIBITING USE OF
GLYPHOSATE-BASED PESTICIDES IN COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATIONAL
FACILITIES j
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Chairperson David and Members of the Council:
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on Bill 91 which prohibits the use of
glyphosate-based pesticides by the County or its contractors in County parks and
facilities listed in Section 15-68.1 of the Hawai'i County Code, effective July 1, 2022,
with certain exemptions. The Department offers comments on this measure.
Glyphosate is a general use pesticide, available from hundreds of retail locations
in Hawaii and countless online distributors. There are currently about 200 products
licensed for sale in Hawaii with glyphosate as an active ingredient. Regulation of all I
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pesticides comes under the enforcement authority of the Department's Pesticides
Branch.
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On January 31, 2020 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.
EPA) announced that it had concluded its regulatory review of glyphosate which is the
most widely used herbicide in the United States. After a thorough review of the best
available science, as required under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act, U.S. EPA concluded that there are no risks of concern to human health
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when glyphosate is used according to label directions and that it is not likely a
carcinogen. The findings on human health risk are consistent with the conclusions of
science reviews by many other countries and other federal agencies, including the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the
Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority, the European Food Safety
Authority, and the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The
EPA is requiring additional mitigation measures to help farmers target pesticide sprays
to the intended pest and reduce the problem of increasing glyphosate resistance in
weeds.
In coming to its conclusion regarding the human health risk of glyphosate, EPA
reviewed thousands of studies since the initial registration of the product in the 1970s.
Glyphosate is used on more than 100 food crops, including glyphosate-resistant corn,
soybean, cotton, canola, and sugar beet. It is the leading herbicide for the management
of invasive and noxious weeds and is used to manage pastures, rangeland, rights of
way, forests, public land, and residential areas. It is an invaluable tool when used to
control invasive species such as Albizia, Falcataria moluccana, where they have taken
over native forests and become hazardous to electrical transmission wires in residential
areas. In addition, glyphosate has low residual soil toxicity and helps retain no-till and
low-till farming operations that reduce the risk of runoff into all surface water bodies.
The Department does not enforce county ordinances and would not enforce this
ordinance, including the ban and signage requirements.
With regards to the proposed Section 15-94, the Council may wish to limit the
restrictions in 15-94 to County actions and permissions, similarly to the proposed
Section 15-92.
In considering this bill, the Department respectfully asks that Councilmembers
weigh the known benefits of glyphosate product use against the science-based
assessments of risks when deliberating on this matter.
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Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this measure.
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