Public hearing on draft pesticide/GMO rules to be held

News Release from County of Kauai

LĪHU'E – The Office of Economic Development (OED) will hold a public hearing on draft rules that would be utilized to implement Ordinance 960, which was passed by the County Council in November 2013 to govern genetically modified organisms and pesticide use by certain entities on Kaua‘i. The hearing is set for Tuesday, August 26, at 6:00 p.m. at Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall.

The draft rules were presented to the public during a series of informational meetings in May 2014, and were reviewed by the State of Hawai‘i Small Business Regulatory Review Board (SBRRB) in June 2014. The SBRRB review is required by state law.

Members of the public are encouraged to review the draft rules prior to the public hearing date. They are posted on the County’s webpage, www.kauai.gov, in the “What’s New” section. A hard copy of the draft rules may be obtained at the Office of Economic Development, 4444 Rice Street, Suite 200, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766.

OED Director George Costa stated that comments at the public hearing should focus strictly on the content of the draft rules. “This is not the venue to debate the larger issues of GMO’s and pesticides, or what should or should not be included in Ordinance 960. The discussion will be focused on the public’s feedback on whether the draft rules are sufficient to implement the ordinance as written.”

The public may also comment on the rules in writing up to the date of the hearing. Comments may be submitted via email at tmhaumea@kauai.gov, or to: Office of Economic Development, 4444 Rice Street, Suite 235, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766.

Special accommodations and sign language interpreters and interpreters for non-English speaking persons are available upon request five (5) days prior to the meeting date. To request an accommodation please contact the Office of Economic Development at 241-4946 or via email at tmhaumea@kauai.gov.

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