HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.090 2018-2020 From: Malia Haves
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Please Vote in FAVOR and Pass Bill 101
Date: Monday,October 14,2019 11:53:10 AM
Aloha Honorable County of Hawaii Council Members,
I took forward to the Council working together to pass bill 101 relating to herbicide use.Beyond simply prohibiting
pesticides,this bill is well thought out to provide support from a vegetation management transition committee as
well as transition time of four years.A knowledgeable team will hopefully guide the transition and work together to
consider the perspectives of County workers with boots on the ground.I know that my own weeds on my little
house lot are hard to keep under control;I cannot imagine the Country's workload!I say this to communicate that
we all may need to tolerate some"weeds"in some areas to allow focused efforts on roadside safety and to mitigate
fire risk.County employees will need our support and understanding and perhaps some training in new
technology/tools,and integrated pest management.We can't expect anyone to do more with less.I occasionally
hand pull weeds at Higashihara Park when I see them(and pick up trash).I'm sure others do too.We,the
community,can ramp up support in this way-it's a great opportunity to teach kids shared responsibility.
I would love county parks to stop using pesticides immediately.However,time for thoughtful transition is critical
for long term success.I therefore support and appreciate that this bill allows four years of transition time.
Switching to products allowed under organic farming rules could be a goal for years one and two.Market research
on alternative treatments could be done during this time as well.I believe the"steam"treatment technology used in
New Zealand along roadsides would work very well here.These trucks/tools would be well worth the cost if they
work in our conditions.
I hope others will be elaborating on risks to human and environmental health and safety,as I have not delved into
this topic.I will briefly make two points.Kids are small and developing and should not be exposed to carcinogens
and endocrine disrupters.Pesticides may not be adequately tested for the label to accurately reflect how a pesticide
will degrade in our"Hawai'i Island conditions"(e.g.glyphosate"binds"to soil-there are plenty of soil-less
surfaces here).Therefore,we all may be subject to a higher exposure rate,especially if the half-life of these
chemicals is reduced by passing mainly through basalt rather than lots of soil.
Thanks for doing the right thing for all of us,especially for our keiki and thank you to councilwoman Rebecca
Shute-Villegas for introducing Bill 101,
Sincerely,
Malia Hayes
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