Second Reading of Bill 2491

SUBHEAD: Getting to the finish line with Bill 2491to regulate pesticide and experimental GMOs.

By Blake Drolson on 6 October 2013 in Island Breath -
(http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2013/10/second-reading-2491.html)


Image above: Clip art illustration of Finish Line.

WHAT:
Kauai County Council second reading on Bill 2491 (final vote) to regulate Kauai pesticide and GMO experiments.

WHEN:
Tuesday, October 8th, 2013 beginning at 8:30am to 1:00pm (get there early for seating)

WHERE:
Kauai Council Chamber
Historic Kauai County Building
4396 Rice Street, Lihue, Kauai

Today I am writing to inform you about the latest news regarding Bill 2491, and to tell you about Tuesdays upcoming county council meeting that will hopefully have time to consider bill 2491.

Also, we have some marches coming up on October 12 to support the worldwide "March against Monsanto", and finally, we have our GMO Free Kaua'i Halloween party on 10/24 at Lydgate. More information on all of that below!

So first off, GMO Free Kauai is very happy to see Bill 2491 get out of committee, and move to the full council. Yes , we were disappointed that the language for the moratorium was dropped, that some buffer zones were reduced, and the EIS language was changed to a more general study.

 Most importantly though, is the bill in its currently amended form has a strong chance to pass the full council and become law, and it DOES include disclosure, buffer zones and an environmental study that will look for harm from the biotech industries operation.

We feel this does "move the ball forward" so to speak. We do hope that the bill can be strengthened in full council deliberations, while still having the ability to get enough votes for the bill to pass into law.

So the next county council deliberations on Bill 2491 will start this Tuesday 10/8, at 8:30 am. It is scheduled to end at 1pm and there are a couple of items on the agenda before 2491.

So it may, or may not, get fully addressed on Tuesday, it could get extended to say Thursday for example, without needing a week notice for the public, since it's the same meeting, extended.

We will have to see how it plays out. If you want to get a seat inside, I would suggest thinking about getting there very early, way before 8:30 am.

Yes I know its crazy to have to do that to get a seat. Hopefully there will be another live video stream for those who can't make it and want to watch.

Speaking of video feeds, check this page for video from the county council.
http://www.kauai.gov/tabid/400/Default.aspx

If you go down to the purple "County Council" box, and click you can see past videos. The last committee meeting on 9/27 is there, all 12 hours and 17 minutes. Here are the direct links:

9/27 comittee meeting, 12 hours of video...
http://kauai.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=1134
9/27 last 17 minutes of meeting
http://kauai.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=1135

Now in addition to the upcoming County Council meetings we have TWO sign waving events coming up on 10/12, next Saturday. The host of the first one is "Mom's Hui" and will be in Princeville along the highway, mauka side, from 10am to 1pm.

The other march is in Kapaa, at the Safeway shopping center on the highway. We will gather there outside of Papaya's beforehand to rally from there to the highway. The Kapa'a march is from 10am till 2pm. Contact for the Kapa'a march is mamkauaiorganizers@gmail.com.

If anyone knows of any other marches on the south or west side please email me and I will get that info out too.

Finally, our GMO - Free Kaua'i Halloween party will be held on October 24th (yes the 24th), which is a Thursday night, starting at 6pm. This is a free event, and we will have live music for the event (details still coming). We will have a gmo free potluck early for the event, and of course costumes are encouraged.

This party is a chance to come out, have some fun with other folks on the island who want to make a shift to a healthy sustainable agriculture for Kaua'i become a reality.

Thank you again for all your support, together we are making a real difference!


Video above: Dr Stephanie Seneff on Glyphosate testifies on Big Island GMO Bill. Source: Shannon Rudolph. From (http://youtu.be/wDvo67WEYmM).




Pass the Bill

Staff on 7 October 2013 for Stop Poisoning Paradise
(http://www.stoppoisoningparadise.org/)

As you know, Bill 2491 was approved and passed out of the County Council Economic Development committee, with 4 out of 5 committee members approving an amended form of the bill, with more detailed disclosure provisions to help our westside ohana and families island-wide.

The Bill now advances to the full Council this TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8 where it may be further amended.  There is also a chance that the final vote will happen at this meeting. 

WE HAVE NOT WON YET,
AND THE AMENDED BILL NEEDS STRENGTHENING
SO LET'S PRESS ON!

Please come show your support on Tuesday!

On October 8, let's make sure that the full Council hears us loud and clear, with our signs and our presence:

Our Council must serve the will of the people,
and they must show COURAGE.

And let's remind our Council members that Bill 2491 supporters are united and "voter-strong" and that WE WILL NOT ALLOW MONEY AND WELL-FINANCED CORPORATIONS TO DETERMINE OUR PUBLIC POLICY through threats and intimidation.

Let's remind Council Members that, to date, we have produced: 
  • Over 10,000 petition signatures
  • Over 4,000 parents, doctors, nurses, teachers, union and ag workers, Hawaiian leaders, farmers, students and others joining our Mana March
  • Union endorsements from teachers, nurses, and hotel workers
  • Endorsements from community groups, medical professionals, lawyers, agricultural experts, realtors, and cultural practitioners
  • Thousands of written testimonies in support of 2491 (constituting most of the total testimonies delivered)
  • Endorsements by over 60 Kauai-based businesses (and growing!)
  • Dozens of favorable media articles
  • Continuous Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor in support of Bill 2491

No wonder a recent Honolulu Star-Advertiser article contained this statement:
"...some bio tech advocates say privately that the companies may have already lost the public-relations battle and that the debate has been defined by the activists."
Let's Power On!

To remind us about why Bill 2491 is important, watch these testimony videos:


Video above: A Wailua Valley mother testifies about Pioneer pesticide pollution and her brain damaged child. From (http://youtu.be/BsInkGhXfCg).


Video above: Felicia Cowden testifies on "Trust". From (http://youtu.be/oHB8fOCJLmg).

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