Honolulu firm to represent County in lawsuit
News Release from County of Kauai February 28, 2014
LĪHU‘E – The Honolulu firm of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP has been selected to represent the County in a lawsuit filed by four companies relating to Ordinance 960, which seeks to regulate pesticide use and the growing of genetically modified crops on Kaua‘i.
“We have every confidence that this firm will appropriately represent the county’s interests in this matter,” stated Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr.
“In addition, we are moving forward with securing a facilitator to get the Joint Fact Finding Group for the Environmental Public Health Impact Study underway,” the mayor added.
“Having reliable, Kaua‘i-based information from which to act will allow us to responsibly address the issues raised in Ordinance 960 and adequately protect the interests of all stakeholders in this discussion.”
The Mayor noted that the administration will continue to move forward with drafting administrative rules for implementing Ordinance 960, and has been lobbying at the state legislature for the restoration of pesticide enforcement positions within the State Department of Agriculture (DOA).
“We are also very pleased with the progress of the state’s Good Neighbor Program,” stated the Mayor.
Through the program, the four seed companies on Kaua‘i and Kaua‘i Coffee have implemented voluntary buffer zones, are providing pre-application notices of restricted pesticide use to neighboring properties, schools and medical facilities, and are supplying monthly reports of restricted use pesticide applications on the DOA website.
“We continue to collaborate with the state to determine how we can best address these issues given the resources available,” said the mayor.
####
Background: Anti-GMO Activists Welch on Promise to Provide Pro-Bono Defense for Kauai County |