HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0212.373 1996-1998 Count::: Council ~~f~"-'C
~5 Aupuni St.
Hilo Hawaii .v~,?~ii
Re Bill 6~ to approprite ~'~,000,ODU to subsidize a privately
oiEmed nuclear irradiation facili#y
Thie. is undoubtedly the mast difficult decisions vcw
,,,ill be a=_.ked to do during your entire two :.•ear term because
establishing a food indu=_.try ba=_.ed an nuclear radiation can
have enormous adverse repercussions an the health and safet>
of our i=_.land community, and its fragile agriculture and
vi=_.itor industries. Consequently, it is ertravrdinaril:r
cantrovers.ial.
I have r,o doubt that ma=_.# of >•ou in favor of this
irradiation bill believe that you are doing some#hinq tha#
~•.~ill benefit =_ome agricultural in#ere=_.±=_. on thi=_. i=_.land. And
that i=_. a. laudable motives#ion. Helping agricultural on #hie.
i=_.lar,d i=_. a primar>• goal of mine a=_. uaell.
But =_top and give deep #haught to the pass.ibilities.
lalhat if thi=_. food irradiatian industry, rather than helping
farmers hurts them. tlha# if lack of r_onsumer acceptance not
only harms tarmers graadinq faced=_. to be irradiated but all
farmer=_. growing arri foods, not anl:r an this island, but on
.ill island=_. thrcwghcwt the s#ate. If this protect tail=_., a=_.
it is likel::: to, it is likely to have immense adverse
repurcussions on agricultural interest=_. s#atewide. The #aint
of irra.dia.ted faced could irreperabl:.• harm Hawaii's food
industrie=_..
American people are tr>•ing to stop the proliferation of
nuclear energy. Na new nuclear energy plan#s are being
built. Old one=_. are being shut down. The toad irradiatian
Indus.#ry i=_. an attempt #o recylce nuclear uaa.ste. Haw do you
knoia~ that the American people will accept irradiated faced.
Isn't it likely' that they won't a.cr_ep# it when they can buy
non irradiated food cheaper. The prosepect=_. of a successful
fr_.ad irradiatian industry is. plummeting at a time wF,en
heal th car,s.c i ou=_.ne=_.=_. i rising, a.r,d the repugnance of
nuclear energy ha=_. stopped the cans#ruction of nuclear
energy plant=_ and the de=_.truction of some exi=_.ting one=.
Once the mainland fond consuming public learn=_ tha# food
frarr, Hawaii i=_. being irradiated, it is likely to tain# a.ll
faced products from Hawaii uJhether irradiated ar not, whether
grown on this island or no#. Non-irradiated faads.in~ill have
to carr;~ a label "not irradiated in H.aaaaii" in order to
escape the #ain# of irradiated food, if such escape i=_. even
pas=_.ible.
2123~3_~
H~11, ~;d~o. N~ ~P
Presence
Re4. nste_MAY 1 5 19,4I~~,~
Think of the Po=_.=_.ibility, rather the liklihood, that
instead of helping Hawaii Count.•'s agricul#ure ir~dustr;: yc'u
are helping to de=_•trc';+• them, and the reputation of all
Hau.~.ai i foods groi.!n throughou# the entire State of Hawaii .
The neua=_. c'f a fe'e'd irradiator in Hawaii will ine'Jitablr'
spread throughout the county::: bi' ±he mainland media. 1'ou can
be guaranteed c'f that. It i~iill be in all na#ional health,
food, and ty.a'Jel magazines, ne'.,~spa.pers, and tel e'J i si c'n . The
nev,~=_.'~ai11 ge world-wide. Food Products from Hawaii, be it
coffee, Pineapple, macadamia nu#s, a.nd e~!ery#hing ln~e grcn,,~
here twill t'e tainted a.nd disdained.
And i t won' # he 1 P our i s i for i r~du=_.try either i,:~fren c'ur
island=__ and our image is sc' tainted..~peF by nuclear
irradiation, l~~e're already the "pesticide ca.p'ital c'f the
cc'untry." If HELC:O e>;Pands. a# Keahole we'll be the
"Pollution caPita.l of the Pacific," blith a nuclear iaas#e
ba=_.ed irra.dia.ticm industry, we could a.dd the title "nuclear
radiation capi#al" a=_.t.~!ell.
C1ne ma.n i fe=_.ta.t i on of the 1 i kel i he'e'l d of the irradiated
foc'd i ndus.tr,•' fa i l i nq i s #h.at i t i s tha.# i t i s based on
deceP t i c'n : nc'~.,~here i n your documental i on i s i t e'Jer called a
"food irradiator. HlUaa;vs. it is innocuously called a "post
harve=_.t trea.tmen# facility."
fdowhere does "iyr.adia.ted" food designated as such.
F'a.ther a pretti' f1oi,.~er 1oUG i=_. u=_.ed to =.i'mbc'1 ize ira.dia.ted
food ra#her than the =_#a.tement "IRRADIATED IPd HAI,JAII."
tJo one ia'cwld buy it if it was truthfully labelled. An
industry from Hawaii t'as.ed on deception is an indu=_try
doomed to tail.
Plea.=_.e consider the ramifications of a t,o#e tc' turd a
faced irradiator here. It is a cri#ical decision that is most
likely #c' accomplish the exact opposite of what you intend.
nu may be irre'JOCably harming s#.atewi de, the eery industr>'
you =_.eek tc' help locally, and in the Proce=_.=_. taint Hawaii'=_.
visitor industry as a. nuclear de=_.tina#ion
Crons.ider very carefully :roux vale Tuesda>"Jery
carefulli'. Lis#en to u,'hat opponents ha'Je to say as carefully
as you''Je listened tc/' proponent=_..
incer 1:::, //l~//K~~~
r i' Roth=_.t in, CDCW
.ailua.-krona Hawaiiisland 9740
3'~G-15.55