OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

The days of the GMO chemical companies poisoning us in silence are over. For the 1st time on Hawai’i a legislative body has passed a strong law to protect the locals and visitors from toxic agriculture chemicals that are known cancer causing agents and hormone disruptors.

The past few years, the movement on Kaua’i and throughout the State of Hawai’i has been ignited by Professional Surfer Dustin Barca.

After 2491 passed Dustin Barca Stated:
“After years of blood sweat and tears, a healthier future for our families and precious natural resources is now possible. As ground zero for the largest chemical companies in the world, we look to set a precedent for the rest of the world in how to deal with the most evil entities on earth.

I just want to thank every single person involved in making this happen. Without unity we would accomplish nothing.“

2491 is a first step in finding out about the impact and destruction of our islands by the chemical companies. On Kaua’i the chemical companies experiment on 15,000 acres and the total acreage across the State is 40,000 – 60,000 acres.

We must acknowledge the monumental effort of Council Members Gary Hooser and Tim Bynum that drafted this law and the 4 other council members that voted to pass 2491. Despite Mel Rapozo voting against 2491, the bill passed, 6-1. Over the past month, massive opposition from Governor Abercrombie and the Mayor Carvalho of Kaua’i gained momentum, last night the Mayor wanted a one month extension to vote on it.

This is a historic moment for Klayton Kubo of Waimea. He has been raising awareness about the dangers of Pioneer/ Dupont poisoning his backyard for 13 years.

The regulation and protection provisions of 2491 include:

1. Buffer zones for schools, parks, beach’s and hospitals that are bordered by chemical fields.
2. Disclosure of any GMO crops.
3. Notify the public before they spray.
4. The county will have to conduct and environmental assessment of the effects of the enormous quantities of chemicals being sprayed.
5. Disclose what pesticides/ herbicides they spray, where they are spraying and in what quantity.

The largest economic development opportunity on Kaua’i and all of the islands, is not chemical destruction and experimentation as most politicians believe, but land cleanup and remediation of GMO test fields. We must create just opportunities through land cleanup and restore the land to grow organic food.

Hawai’i imports over 90% of our food. Given the toxic state of a lot of our agriculture land, including GMO experimentation or toxic sugar and pineapple fields that were never cleaned up, growing food is not the first step, or we will only be growing more toxic food.

Our massive campaigns across Hawai’i will continue over the next few months, we must pass Bill #113 on Hawai’i Island. On Oahu, after 18 months of pressure, it is time for Kamehameha Schools to EVICT MONSANTO from Hale’iwa. The largest lease to any GMO company on Oahu is the Kamehameha Schools lease of 1,033 acres above the most famous surf breaks in the world. No environmental assessment of chemical contamination has ever occurred in Hale’iwa.

Any day, the chemical companies will file a lawsuit to block the implementation of 2491. The chemical companies are fighting for the right to spray toxic chemicals, (many of them are banned throughout the world) less then 500 feet from schools, such as Waimea Canyon Middle School.