Hawaii Environmental Council calls for more pesticide investigation and enforcement

HONOLULU - March 17, 2014 - PRLog -- HONOLULU -- The State of Hawaii Environmental Council is issuing a call for state agencies to increase pesticide investigation and enforcement and for the State Legislature to provide adequate funding. The Environmental Council brought together stakeholders from all sides of the pesticide debate to find common ground on how the State can better regulate the use of pesticides.

“The public has voiced their concerns about pesticide use in Hawaii and this set of recommendations begins to answer that call,” said Mark Ambler, Chair of the Information and Outreach Committee. “Both farmers and residents of agricultural communities agree that we need to do a better job enforcing laws that are already in place. I’m convinced that if we start down this path where agencies, farmers, and communities are working together to identify and target the hazards, we will experience changes that will be a model for other governments across the globe.”

The Environmental Council Information and Outreach Committee solicited input from the general public and stakeholders, reviewed existing regulations, studied more than 100 different publications, and reviewed 600 different scientific studies to developed a draft set of recommendations. Comments on the recommendations were then solicited from affected agencies, organizations, companies and the public. This input and additional research conducted in response to comments was used to craft eight (8) recommendations which the Environmental Council approved on March 4, 2014.

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Environmental Council recommends that the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) consider rules that would raise fees on pesticide product licenses and provide for fees that vary according to the amount or quantity of pesticide to be sold, offered for sale, or distributed.

RECOMMENDATION 2

The Environmental Council recommends the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH) conduct an investigation into the extent of aquatic or other impacts of pesticide off-site migration in the State of Hawaii.

RECOMMENDATION 3

The Environmental Council recommends HDOH to follow up on its investigation into the extent of the aquatic or other impacts of pesticide off-site migration in the State of Hawaii and implement corrective actions, including reassessment of the effect determination and potential additional regulation.

RECOMMENDATION 4

The Environmental Council recommends HDOA and HDOH coordinate information and efforts on restricted use pesticides.

RECOMMENDATION 5

A. The Environmental Council recommends HDOH expand its food pesticide residue sampling program to include glyphosate and infant food product sampling.

B. The Environmental Council recommends the Legislature increase the funding of an expanded sampling program.

RECOMMENDATION 6

The Environmental Council recommends that state and county agencies, in regulating pesticide use in Hawaii, uphold their public trust obligation to conserve and protect natural resources as required under the Hawaii Constitution, Article XI, Section 1, and under Hawaii Supreme Court cases defining those public trust obligations.

RECOMMENDATION 7

The Environmental Council recommends to the Legislature and agencies that additional resources be provided specifically for monitoring, enforcement, and education of pesticide use to appropriate agencies such as the HDOH, HDOA, and the University of Hawaii-College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

RECOMMENDATION 8

The Environmental Council does not by these recommendations intend to preempt regulation at the county level.

The Environmental Council monitors the progress of state, county, and federal agencies in achieving the state's environmental goals and policies. It serves as the liaison between the director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC) and the general public on issues concerning ecology and environmental quality. The Environmental Council is a 15-member body composed of 14 dedicated and conscientious volunteers and the director of OEQC, all appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate. Members of the Environmental Council are a broad and balanced representation of educational, business, and environmentally pertinent disciplines and professions.