HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0271.160 2010-2014 Page 1 of 2
COUNTY CLERK yAl
Murashige, Laura C(71���T�, ' ° ?
From: Haley Graham [hmgdearheart @gmail.com] 7Q}3 JUl - 1 A 38
Sent: Monday, July 01, 2013 7:42 AM
To: bford @co.hawaii.hi.us; counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us; dkanuha @co.hawaii.hi.us;
donishi @co.hawaii.hi.us; gilagan @co.hawaii.hi.us; goodvibes1378 @yahoo.com;
jyoshimoto @co.hawaii.hi.us; keoff @co.hawaii.hi.us; mwille @co.hawaii.hi.us;
vpoindexter @co.hawaii.hi.us; zkern @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Bill 79 Support Testimony! Morgan Alexy
My name is Morgan Alexy, and I am in support of bill 79 for a variety of
reasons which I will attempt to condense here.
I have had the honor of visiting, living, and working on a variety of farms and
land across the State, and one thing that becomes increasingly obvious is the toll
that modern chemical agriculture is continuing to take on our islands. Our ecology
has become decimated to being unrecognizable from a historical native point of
view. We are referred to as the "endangered species capital of the world" due to
mismanagement, well now we have also become "the experimental GMO testing
trials capital of the world" with thousands of field trials carried out to date.
We have been told that GMO crops will require fewer chemicals, yet with the
development of "superbugs" and now "super weeds" the EPA is considering raising
the levels of glyphosate, in disregard of recent studies showing serious cause for
alarm. One recent study found glyphosate in all samples of water and air in the
Mississippi Delta region. I am unaware of any studies showing how glyphosate
behaves in the 60+mph gusts we have here, or its effects on the 377 endangered
species we have here, or how GMO pollen spreads for that matter, in our unique
ecosystems.
We have been told over and over GMO crops will bring more money, yet since the
introduction of GMO papaya in 1998, our Japanese exports, comprising 60% of the
papaya market, dropped from 15 million dollars to just 1 million dollars in 2011 ,
representing at least a 200 million dollar loss to our Hawaiian farmers and our
Hawaiian economy. Simultaneously, the complete lack of foresight in regards to
genetic contamination, has led to the destruction of the organic papaya market, one
of the most lucrative markets, with organic papayas fetching as much as 10 times
their GMO counterparts.
All around the world we are seeing markets dry up for US crops that are potentiall
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contaminated. The majority of the world is still not convinced of the "safety" of GMO
crops. Disregarding all concerns and data to the contrary, the FDA says that these
new multi DNA hosting hybrid life forms are basically the same as the plants we
have spent thousands of years developing: this reasoning is suicidal at best. Our
Federal regulatory process has failed us on this issue, as former members of huge
transgenic seed companies become unelected members of the FDA, allowed to
hold stock in any company they wish, and we see the same thing in the USDA.
This is not a conflict of interest, it is insanity.
So the burden has come down to the smallest levels of government and the people,
and it is no small burden. But today, I stand before you and ask you
councilmembers and fellow citizens, to renew your oath to protect the `aina, renew
your oath to protect the people, and renew your oath to the ecology of Hawai'i and
let us take this small step towards reclaiming food sovereignty.
Thank You.
"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one
can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye. " — The Fox, Antoine
de Saint-Exupery' s "The Little Prince"
7/1/2013