Kauai Wins Battle For Health And Safety

Kauai's GMO/Pesticide Bill To Become Law After Veto Override

This is a true victory over the status quo. Kauai should be proud of itself. Kauai's mayor needs to be voted out for being nothing more than a shill for the ag/pesticide business looking to poison this planet for profit.

Now what human with any semblance of caring about the world would actually want to see pesticides sprayed around schools, parks, etc. without having to be disclosed by the chemical companies doing it unless they were in their pocket?

What human with any semblance of logic understanding the precautionary principle wouldn't seek to be prudent in separating GM crop from conventional crop fields unless they were in their pocket?

THANK YOU Kauai for showing us that money is not more important than life.



I was in Kauai years ago and experienced its heavenly beauty. It is sacred land. DOW, BASF, Monsanto et al have NO place there.

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Excerpt:

LIHUE, KAUAI — Pesticide disclosure Bill 2491 is set to become law after the Kauai County Council voted Saturday to override Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s veto of the bill.

After members voted 5 to 2 for the override, the audience in the small hearing room, packed primarily with bill supporters, waved their fingers in the air, hugged one another and cried.

As supporters of Bill 2491 walked out of the Historic County Building, they and many of those waiting outside erupted in cheers. Some began to beat drums. Others hollered, "We Passed the Bill!"

The override came despite protests from the mayor who showed up to plead his case one last time before the council. He told members that he agrees with the intent of the measure, but he urged the council to pursue a more collaborative approach that involves working with state officials and the biotech companies. "I do not believe Bill 2491 is the correct and legal path," he said.

"We are not placed in these positions to be a hero or pave the way for other communities," he said in reference to comments by some activists who support the bill that Kauai should become a model for other counties. "We are here to take care of Kauai and Niihau and the people who live here. Efforts of this magnitude take time, patience and above all heartfelt collaboration — and it takes leadership."

But the council was not swayed.

When it goes into effect in August, Bill 2491 will require heavy users of restricted use pesticides, primarily the biotech companies, to disclose what pesticides they are spraying, where and in what quantities. The law also requires farmers to report to the county any genetically altered crops that they are growing, and it creates buffer zones between fields sprayed with pesticides and schools, parks, medical facilities and private residences. The county will also be required to study whether pesticides are harming the environment or the health of residents. Employees of biotech companies can be fined or jailed for violating pesticide disclosure requirements and buffer zones.

End of excerpt