Malu 'Aina

Aloha e Kakou,

Hawaii Island needs your support.

This is a reminder and update about the upcoming county council meeting where the council will vote on Comm 9.1, which if passes means the county corporation counsel, who is charged with defending Hawaii County’s GMO crop ban in court, will be able to hire Earth Justice and the Center for Food Safety attorneys Paul Achitoff and George Kimbrel, respectively. Hawaii County has already voted to appeal the lower court’s decision invalidating our GMO crop ban; at this juncture passing this is even more about our county leaders following through and carrying out the financial and fiduciary responsibilities than the issue of whether GMOs should be banned or not. Certain council members have been swayed to vote against free high quality representation, perhaps partially by or under the cover of the confusing letter that the plaintiff’s attorney sent to all the council members to – of all things- give advice to the ones they are suing, Hawaii County. Obvious conflict of interest aside, these claims that “Paul Achitoff cannot represent the county” are groundless.

CFS and Earth Justice are funded by small donations all over the country, and they do great work. The world is paying attention to this case because if we don’t win in a higher court, this would have possibly grave consequences for the future of GMO ordinances throughout the country, as well as the cases on Kauai and Maui. You are the movement, be heard and be counted.

Senator Russell Ruderman wrote a powerful testimony in support of Comm 9.1 , here it is:

“Aloha Councilmembers,

I sincerely hope you will vote to accept the assistance of Earthjustice and others in defending the County.

The defense of this bill is not about GMO’s – it is much more than that. Defending your County authority will be useful in many future subject matters. If you do not defend the County’s authority here, in the future this precedent will work against you in other matters where you will desire County authority, regardless of your opinion on this issue.

As you’ve heard in testimony, this assistance will not cost the County, as Earthjustice will donate their services, and only incidental fees may be incurred as required by their charter.

Thus, you will be saving the County large sums of legal costs by authorizing this assistance. In addition you will have the best expert in the state on our side. Conversely, as you’ve already chosen to defend the County, rejecting this assistance will result in undetermined costs to the County. These costs are potentially significant and unnecessary. They can be avoided by allowing this expert, highly competent assistance, thereby saving your constituents money.” -Senator Ruderman

Those voting against this should also be asked how they justify spending taxpayer money when we’ve been offered representation for free.

Please contact councilmembers now with a quick email and let them know you support acceptance of Earthjustice & Center for Food Safety’s very generous offer to help us with our appeal of the GMO ban. *(Comm. 9.1)

For Extra Credit: Please Kokua your Puna Ohana!

Separate Emails: Reso. 58 To support our law against geothermal night time drilling.

(Can you imagine the sound of jets roaring at all hours, for months, in YOUR neighborhood?)

And Reso. 59: To authorize going to court if the geothermal company/PGV refuses to comply with our county’s night time drilling ban.

It’s as simple as saying “I SUPPORT Comm. 9.1”

(Separate Emails) : I SUPPORT Reso 58 – I SUPPORT Reso 59.

*HERE: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us

AND CC the councilmembers:

valerie.poindexter@hawaiicounty.gov, greggor.ilagan@hawaiicounty.gov,

dennis.onishi@hawaiicounty.gov, daniel.paleka@hawaiicounty.gov, aaron.chung@hawaiicounty.gov, margaret.wille@hawaiicounty.gov, maile.david@hawaiicounty.gov, karen.eoff@hawaiicounty.gov, dru.kanuha@hawaiicounty.gov

Alternatively, you can sign the CFS petition, and it gets submitted directly to the county from you and acts as your official testimony on record:

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/1881/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15495

Meeting Details:

9 am February 4th Council Chambers, Hawaii County Building, 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1402, Hilo, HI 96720

All satellite video conferencing sites will be open, including the new one in Pahoa:

Pāhoa: Puna Council Office: 15-2879 Pāhoa Village Road, Rm. 105

Waimea: Holumua Center, 64-1067, Māmalahoa Highway, Suite 5

Ka‘u: Hawaiian Ocean View Community Ctr., 92-8924 Leilani Circle

Kona: Kona Council Chamabers, The West Hawai`i Civic Center; 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Bldg. A

Sorry, we do not have an address for the Kohala site, but it will be open.

State level testimony also needed:

Your Testimony Needed TONIGHT! Hearing Tomorrow ~ SB593

Important Statewide Bills Introduced at the Legislature on Buffer Zones, Pesticide Disclosure, and Land for Local Food Production

Three notable bills were introduced this week at the state level.

Senate Bill (SB) SB593 Requires the Agribusiness Development Corporation, within the Dept. of Ag to: a) make increasing agriculture and local food production its primary mission, b) lease 50% of its land to operations that support increasing agriculture and local food production within the next ten years, and c) establish a sustainable agriculture and local food production plan. *NOTE: Hearing TOMORROW Monday, Feb. 2nd on SB593.

> SUBMIT TESTIMONY HERE:

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx…

HAPA

Link: http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=bbbe841fbdda5e232534713e3&id=8462c3e26b&e=55a47da950

Mahalo nui loa, and please share this with your contacts.

-the team at GMO Free Hawaii Island