HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0771.334 2020-2022 P/CoMcil
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From: Heloise Lochman
Sent: Tuesday, May.31, 2022 11:03 AM 1071 MAY 31 An II: 3
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Bill 167
To Ms. Maile David, Mr. Aaron Chung and the other respected members of our County Council:
Please vote to pass Bill 167 outlawing the sale of non-mineral sunscreens. We have been frequent snorkellers at
Kahalu'u Bay for almost twenty years and have witnessed the severe decline in healthy corals there. This unique
place on our island deserves all the help we can give it, to survive and be healthy for coming years.
I've seen comments in West Hawaii Today from Council members who are skeptical about the science
involved. Friends, Kahalu'u's ReefTeach program and other organizations all over the world have completed reliable
and trustworthy research for years, and it is now generally accepted that banning harmful sunscreen really does
improve the health of our corals.
Please realize that if you fail to pass this bill, you are saying "Go ahead, poison our ocean and kill our reefs, we don't
care." Is this the message you, our elected decision-makers, want to send to our children and our visitors?
Have you gotten to know about the ReefTeachers at Kahalu'u, and what a precious benefit they are to our
community? Please honor the countless hours they've spent for over 20 years, educating thousands of visitors about
the respectful use of Kahalu'u. Do you know that the international oceanic protection group Mission Blue has
recently named Kahalu'u Bay a Hope Spot, which will further spotlight our Kona community's support for this
unique resource?
Please join with all of us who care about the ocean's health, and pass this law which places power here in Kona, not
in the distant corporations which care only about profits. These companies will surely adapt and find a way to
continue making money by creating the safe sunscreens we demand. Thank you.
Chris and Heloise Lochman
Kailua Kona HI 96740
Comm. Noii 111-'71LV
Ref.To: P 1 CbUVI“
Ref. Date JUN - 1 2022
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