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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0846.000 1996-1998 MAY- 6-92 WED 23:25 JERF'Y PuTHSTEIH 2083295464 P.OS pyi. May 7, 1998 Hawaii County Council 25 Aupunl St. Hilo Hawaii 95720 4Rx g6( 3Y9/ Dear Chrpsn. Arakaki & members of the Hawaii l County Council, DEA LETTER RE EIS Attached please find a copy of the letter from the Drug Enfprcement Administration (DEA) that comes with the April 1998 draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) pertaining to "Cannabis Eradication in the Contiguous United States and Hawaii." This SEIS updates the ones done in 1985 &'86. which formed the basis for aerial poison spraying to eradicate cannabis. The DEA letter indicates the date, time and place of public hearings in 5 states including one in Honolulu at the Ala Moana Hotel on Friday May 15 from 4-8 p.m. It also indicates the deadline for receiving Input is the close of business on June 1, 1998. HAWAII HAS UNIQUE EXPERIENCE Hawaii's experience is unique among the states because for the past 13 years its citizens have been the experimental population for eradicating cannabis by aerial poison spraying by county, state, federal agencies, and the National Guard. The '93 SEIS Is the vehicle to eh;and the same program throughout the mainland states. Many problems created by the aerial eradication program have been brought to your attention by rural citizens of Hawaii County during the past 4 Tears. These serious health and privacy problems could be identified, addressed, and resolved in Hawaii, and prevented in the mainland, if the County of Hawaii put its public record on this issue Into the '93 supplementary EIS. REQUEST FOR COUNTY SFIS INPUT This letter is to request the Ha,!aali County Council to provide Input to the draft SEIS in the form of its record of public hearings, testimon;', and public ,tatements at Council and Committee meetings and wor kthopa, relevant to the cane&i,;s eradication program. Material from the '94 and '96 County Councils terms would suffice Implementing this request woi.ild require making photocopies of suchs records and getting the package to the designated Maryland address by Jura 1. Thank you for Your fa-,orabl© con=idJ rv.lion of this ma6kor. YAilua~Kona or a better, ay, (J(// othte'n CDCW HdwaIIi3lafld 6740 329-1568 Cum pqle r Rai. Tu:,._.-------- 1fa _ , feet. te MAt l 2998 MAY- 6-96 WED 23:28 JERRY POTHSTEIN 8083295464 P.01 U. S. Departrr 1 of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration State and Local Programs Section 700 Army Navy Drive Arlington, VA 22202 April 3, 1998 Dear Reader: The U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), invites your comments on the enclosed environmental document "Cannabis Eradication in the Contiguous United States and Hawaii Draft Supplement to the Environmental Impact Statements, April 1998," SEIS .This document was prepared for DEAD with the assistance-of the U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA , Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The SEIS was prepared to supplement the following environmental impact statements previously prepared by the DEA: "Final Environmental Impact Statement, Cannabis Eradication on Non-Federal and Indian Lands in the Contiguous United States and Hawaii" (May 1986) and the ` "Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Eradication of Cannabis on Federal Lands in the is Continental United States" (July 1985). The SEIS provides analysis on the following facto ? ( rt affecting the DEA's Cannabis eradication pro am. new scientific information regarding the her icides considered in the EIS's hanges and improvements in the herbicidal program deliv d the constderanon of another hcrbicide for potential use in the proXrarn_ If you wish to provide comments, an original and tlrree copies of your comments must be received by close of business on June 1, 1998, at the following address: Mr. Jack Edmu ndson q us fjol 4/ Project Leader v Environmental Analysis and Documentation USDA, APHIS, PPD 4700 River Road, Unit 149 Riverdale, MD 20737-1238 In addition, five public meetings to hear oral public comments on the draft SEIS are scheduled as fo llowe: Tuesday May 12, 1998 Denver, Colorado 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Renaissance Deliver 3801 Quebec Street Denver, CO 80207 (Ballroom) Page 2 Friday May 15, 1998 Honolulu. Hawaii, 4 p.m.-8 p,m. Ala Moana Hotel Honolulu, Hawaii 96814 (Hibiscus Ballroom) Tuesday May 19, 1998 Boise, Idaho 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Boise Center on the Grove Boise, Idaho 83702 (The Summit Room) Thursday May 21, 1998 Atlanta, Georgia 4 p.m,-8 p.m. Westin Atlanta Airport 4736 Best Road Atlanta, Georgia 30337 (Grand Ballroom 1) Wednesday May 27, 1998 Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Holiday Eisenhower Metro Center Alexandria, VA 22314-4695 (Fisonhower Station Ballroom) If you plan to present oral comments at any of the scheduled meetings, you may register at the meeting location between 3 and 4 p ,m. on the meeting date. You can pre-register for the meeting by facsimile at (301) 734.3640 any time of day or by calling Ms. Vicki Wickheiser, USDA, APHIS, at 3 between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m, EST. Pre-registrants should provide their name, organization a ration (i any), a ess, telephone number (optional), and the meeting location that they will attend. Pre-registration ends at 33 n m EST on May 7 1998. Speakers are requested to provide an original and three copies of the written text of their comments during registration at the meeting. Sincerely, James A. Woolley Chief, State and Local Programs Section Enclosure Z0'd b9bS6Z£808 NI31SH1Otl l.d~J3f 6ZC£Z a3M 86-9 -1.041