HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0931.009 1996-1998
Testimony Re: Bill 276
Hawaii County Council
August 5, 1998 RECEIVED r
From: Isaac Fiesta f1m-° By
Business Agent & Division PAC Coordinator bate....._.--.-_S _ r &
ILWU Local 142 Gounty Council ' / -
Chairman Arakaki and members of the Council: My name is Isaac Fiesta, speaking today
on behalf of ILWU Local 142, in opposition to the ordinance proposed by Parents
Against Irradiation.
ILWU members have taken a keen interest in this issue for over a year. Our members
have hosted several presentations to consider fact-finding and the safety concerns of our
community. We are convinced that irradiation facilities are built and operated safely and
provide a valuable service by sterilizing single use medical products and many consumer
items. As a result, we all benefit from improved hygienic and environmental safety.
As you all know, the ILWU in Hawaii is steeped in agricultural tradition and the success
of our growers. The cropland undergoing a rebirth of planting today was first developed
for commercial agriculture by the generations of plantation workers who built the ILWU.
Today, we all have a stake in diversified agriculture and the prospects for Hawaii-grown
produce to reach mainland and world markets. The ILWU will always have a stake in
Hawaiian agriculture.
For three years, our local farmers and the State Department of Agriculture have shown
that irradiated fresh fruit from Hawaii surmounts Hawaii's historic plant quarantine
barrier, allowing our farmers to sell their products in a vast U.S. mainland market. We
should be applauding that achievement, not debating it.
The ILWU is a proud member of the newly formed Hawaii coalition, Friends of
Agriculture. In the coming months, we are committed to working with our farmers and
responsible voices in the community to address the safety concerns of the public.
We believe the ordinance drafted by the petition committee discriminates against our
farmers and local contractors who have a legitimate need to use radioisotopes. Their
activities are strictly licensed and regulated by the federal government. We should not be
enacting changes in our county code without fact-fording, and we are unaware of any
conclusive findings submitted by Parents Against Irradiation. Instead, we have a
campaign based on fear and misinformation.
The ILWU urges the Council to vote "No" on this bill. It is bad legislation. In
November, we believe that all the people of Hawaii County who truly want a better future q
will support your wisdom in rejecting this initiative. Thank you. Comm. No 3 1
File No. i
Presented Counr"L.
-707-5 1998 _