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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0489.666 2018-2020 Murashige, Laura lpI. - - COUNTY OF HAWAII, From: GLENN TOYAMA <hawnflowgrdn@hotmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 7:02 PMION NOV 20 r, To: Council Testimony Subject: I Oppose Bill 101 Aloha Chair Chung, Vice-Chair Eoff, and members of the Council, Thank you for the opportunity to testify in opposition to this measure. I oppose this bill because the results will be detrimental to public health, conservation efforts, and ultimately, to agriculture, since although it currently exempts agriculture, the bill, if passed, will undoubtedly use the same misguided rationale to ban herbicides in farming and ranching. I am also justifiably concerned for my safety since roadways can quickly become overgrown with weedy plants, causing blind spots for motorists and pedestrians, which can result in devastating accidents. Furthermore, as farmers and ranchers who rely upon our precious watersheds, we are concerned that those areas will become severely neglected and taken over by the many introduced invasive plant species, like miconia,that reduce the amount of rainwater that will seep into the watershed, if effective herbicides are disallowed. If weeds are not adequately controlled on County property,these areas will become perfect habitat and breeding areas for other devastating pests and diseases that will impact Hawaii's farmers (and others) and risk the continued viability of our farms and ranches. The passage of Bill 101 will result in far more problems than it solves. Thank you for taking our concerns and comments into consideration. Mahalo, [GLENN TOYAMA] [MOUNTAIN VIEW, HI 96771] [gtoyama67@gmail.com] Comm. No. lira `'"r`e`o Ref. To: 1 Ref. Date NOV 2 0 2019