HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0771.199 2020-2022 P/CRNRMG
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From: ctalbot114 COUNTY CLERK
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2022 5:31 AM COUNTY OF HAWAII
To: Council Testimony RECEIVED
Subject: TESTIMONY IN STRONG SUPPORT BILL 167 Time .x-3l a� By 14
Date MAY 17 21
Attn: Chair Rebecca Villegas, Co-Chair Heather Kimball, and members of the Committee on Climate Resilience & Natural
Management.
Aloha Esteemed Council and Committee Members:
The critical role of healthy coral reefs in ensuring continuation of Hawaii's way of life cannot be
overstated. Healthy coral reefs are vital to maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, which residents and
visitors alike depend on for food, recreation and multiple other things essential to their well-being. Healthy
coral reefs are also important for protecting Hawaii's shorelines from wave activity, and such protection will
become even more important as sea levels rise. It is therefore imperative that measures be taken to
protect Hawaii's coral reefs, including protection from the chemical compounds contained in non-mineral
sunscreens that inhibit coral growth and thus contribute to degradation of coral reefs. Such protection is
even more important to enact as quickly as possible given that the sunscreen companies have
disingenuously labelled non-mineral sunscreens as "reef safe" (and may have done so illegally since their
claims apparently are not based on supporting data, but rather on the fact that their products do not contain
currently banned ingredients), thereby disillusioning consumers into readily accepting these sunscreens as
environmentally friendly and likely accelerating consumers' use of these harmful sunscreens. It is for these
reasons that I voice my strong support for Bill 167, which aims to protect coral reefs and the marine
environment from non-mineral sunscreens, and ultimately protecting Hawaii's way of life for its residents
and visitors.
Mahalo,
Chris Talbot
Comm. No. —1-1 .La61_
Ref.To: P CNIRMC/
Ref. Date 7 2022
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