HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0385.080 2012-2014 Page 1 of 1
Murashige, Laura COUNTY CLERK
Cow- _,
From: Bob Bonar[bbonar @hawaii.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2013 6:42 AM 7013 SEP --3 PH 12: 00
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Please vote against Bill 109 and Bill 113
Signed By: There are problems with the signature. Click the signature button for details.
Hawaii County Council
Committee on Public Safety & Mass Transit
Wednesday September 4, 2013 1:30 p.m.
Testimony Against Bills 109 and 113
Committee Chair Ford and Members of the Committee:
One does not need to be "pro-GMO" to find these bills lacking and I not need to support the wretched
actions of the corporate industrial food, petrochemical and bio-genetic industries to recognize that these
particular pieces of legislation arise more out of belief than of disciplined inquiry regarding both the
science and the practical impacts on our Big Island communities.
• The unintended consequences of these bills would have major negative impacts on our efforts to
support sustainable agriculture on the Big Island by raising costs for the production and
distribution of locally grown products.
• For better or worse our agricultural economy exists with the context of national and global
markets and it is competition in those markets that will determine the relative success of our
farmers.
• If we found intra-species genetic modifications that would provide solutions to our problems that
afflict our banana crops, our bees, and our coffee crops, would we reject those solutions out of
hand regardless of the scientific evidence'?
I abhor the changes to the food system in the past forty or fifty years, changes that I believe have led to
the significant increases in obesity and diabetes, to name two or the more obvious health
consequences. I am greatly saddened that we do not support independent scientific studies of GMOs,
instead relying on that of the industries. Unfortunately, such attempts as these legislative solutions at
the local level, given our national and international contexts, will do more harm than good.
Please vote against Bill 109 and Bill 113
Name: Bob Bonar
Occupation: Retired
City where I live: Kamuela
Comm. No. 3 gs• g°
Ref.To: P/PS ITG
Ref. Date SEP 0 4 2013
9/3/2013