HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.498 2018-2020 •
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From: ,J B. Friday
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Chung,Aaron NOVrr
Subject: opposed to bill 101 tag O Ali x 10' 2
Date: Tuesday,November 19,2019 8:33:52 AM
Dear Hawaii County Council,
I am writing to oppose Bill 101. While we all can get behind pesticide risk reduction, the bill
as written likely will have unintended consequences and make our county workers less safe
and our roadways less safe.
I have two suggestions moving forward. One would be to conduct a review of safety
procedures and protocols for county workers and follow-up training where needed. I note that
the bill bans herbicides but permits the county to continue to apply insecticides, rodenticides,
and other pesticides which are generally more toxic than herbicides. People who apply the
pesticides are much more at risk from improper application of these chemicals than the general
population. Are we sure that pesticides are always applied according to label directions and
workers alwaysuse personal protective equipment?ment?A review and follow-uptraining
for
workers applying pesticides would protect our county workers and probably lessen the overall
amount of herbicides needed.
My second suggestion would be to start with eliminating herbicide application in parks but not
along roadsides. Forcing county workers to spend long hours on the sides of our roads exposes
them to significant danger from traffic accidents. Roadside brush cleaning by hand is a
dangerous job and it is unfair to expose our workers to additional dangers when safer tools are
available. If roadside weeds are not controlled, we can expect increases in our already high
rates of traffic accidents. On the other hand, if workers are unable to keep up with increased
weed control work in our parks, the parks will get a bit more weedy, but no real harm done.
I am a professional forester and have worked 21 years on Hawaii Island. I have a background
in silviculture and a PhD in agriculture where I studied agroforestry at UH Manoa. I am
employed by the University of Hawaii but this is my testimony and does not reflect the
University's position.
Sincerely,
J. B. Friday
1416 Kilikina St
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Life is like riding a bicycle in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving.
- Albert Einstein •
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