Try to find middle ground, then council must act

Two more months.

That’s how long Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. asked the council to defer acting on Bill 2491. The mayor believes with more opportunity for discussion, an agreement can be reached between Kauai’s largest agricultural corporations and those calling for the council to adopt the bill and enforce rules regarding disclosure of pesticide use and establishing buffer zones.

While we’re not convinced another two months of talks will result in any significant changes on this issue, based simply on progress to date, we support the mayor’s proposal and believe the council should agree with his request.

If the mayor believes he can orchestrate talks that will ease what’s turning into a contentious, combative situation on Kauai, give him that chance.

But let’s be clear on this. If nothing comes up after two months, no more talks. Unfortunately, there are times more discussion will not produce results. It won’t change anything. So following this two-month deferral, the council must decide whether to push ahead with 2491, or back down. Pass it or reject it.

And what would that mean?

If passed in its current form, the bill would require DuPont Pioneer, Syngenta, Dow AgroSciences, BASF and Kauai Coffee to disclose the use of pesticides and the presence of GMO crops. It would also establish buffer zones around schools, hospitals, homes and other areas, and require the county to conduct a study on the health and environmental impacts of the industry.

Provisions deleted from the bill last month include those that would have prohibited open-air testing of experimental pesticides and genetically modified organisms, established a permitting process and placed a temporary moratorium on the expansion of GMO fields.

The Kauai County Council will resume its discussion on Bill 2491 at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the History County Building.

While we support a final two-month deferral, we believe DuPont Pioneer, Syngenta, DOW AgroSciences, BASF and Kauai Coffee need to respond to the community’s growing concern for its health. Those companies need to recognize more people are questioning what they are spraying, and whether it’s harmful to the people who live here, and the island itself. A buffer zone, too, by schools and hospitals seems a reasonable request.

But the longer these companies refuse to disclosed information on their use of pesticides, the more their assurances fall on deaf ears, and the more worries it raises. This statement grows louder: If they won’t say, it must be bad.

Transparency is a buzzword these days, and the “Big Five” should be as transparent as possible.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie also recently entered the fray with his proposal regarding the state’s role in establishing rules for the use of restricted use pesticides by these large companies on Kauai. His call is for biotech companies to voluntarily disclose the amount of restricted-use pesticides being used on this island. He would like to see lawmakers and state agriculture officials come up with some set standards, or at least guidelines.

While we appreciate the governor finally weighing in here, his offer seems to undercut the council’s work on Bill 2491. Still, let’s consider the words of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association:

“We respect the direction Gov. Abercrombie has given to our industry on Kauai to develop a program to disclose aggregated usage of RUPs and implement a voluntary setback from schools and hospitals. We will work diligently to address the state’s requests for more fact finding and information sharing. We support the state’s effort to restore Department of Agriculture resources for compliance and inspection. We also believe the public should be engaged, and therefore, we are committed to sharing the same information with Kauai County officials and the community on an on-going basis.”

Let’s hold them to that. Share more information with the community. Develop a program to disclose aggregated useage of RUPs. Implement a setback from school and hospitals. Restore the Department of Agriculture resources for compliance and inspection.

This issue isn’t going away. This argument will continue. The division on Kauai is widening. People want to know what pesticides are being sprayed, when and where. A disclosure and notification system is not unreasonable.

Let’s respect the mayor’s request and give two months for discussion to find a resolution. Let’s try to create the unity on this matter the mayor believes is there. If he is right, we’ll be glad we listened. Perhaps all sides can come to an agreement.

But if nothing comes of those talks, if no middle ground can be found, the council must act on Bill 2491. It can wait no longer.