Being there and correcting the reference to access road closure
Sierra Club’s statement from Nelson Ho that appeared in West Hawaii Today on Oct. 15 contained erroneous information in reference to the closure of the Mauna Kea Access Road during the scheduled groundbreaking ceremony for the Thirty Meter Telescope on Oct. 7. I was there, Nelson Ho, by his admission, was not.
As the former chairman of the Mauna Kea Management Board and a member for 12 years, I have firsthand knowledge of the critical importance the Office of Mauna Kea Management places on open access to this resource. Office of Mauna Kea Management instituted the ranger program to protect the natural and cultural resources and to guard against unsafe conduct that might endanger lives.
The Office of Mauna Kea Management Public Access Plan, approved by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, states that the highest management priorities for public access in the University of Hawaii Management areas are public health and safety, and the conservation of natural and cultural resources. The plan also states that road safety for all users on the Summit Access Road will be a high management priority.
The Office of Mauna Kea Management worked with the Hawaii Police and Fire departments, sheriff’s office and the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement Branch to develop a plan to keep summit access open while providing for a safe environment for all, and to keep an emergency lane clear. Office of Mauna Kea Management rangers and staff were also on hand to see to the safety of everyone — making sure those who were not feeling well could receive medical attention.
The Mauna Kea Access Road, including access to the summit, was not closed by Office of Mauna Kea Management or the Hawaii Police Department. The road was blocked by individuals protesting the groundbreaking ceremony. The road leading to the groundbreaking site is a narrow and rocky one-way lane. Keeping it free and clear was a paramount public health safety concern. I was dismayed to learn that an ambulance transporting a sick individual down from the high-altitude summit was delayed at the blockade and rangers had to intervene and request an opening in the road to allow passage.
Further, “dubious shortcuts through state and federal laws” as intimated by Mr. Ho are non-existent. The university followed and complied with all procedures. The various legal procedures and court decisions included a careful review of all the facts and evidence, including those presented by the opponents. I feel confident in the court’s decision thus far.
Barry K. Taniguchi
Hilo
GMOs at a crossroads in Hawaii
Genetically modified plants such as Hawaii’s Rainbow Papaya that are designed to resist a specific threat — in this case the ringspot virus — are unusual in the world of GMOs today. Presently, 80 to 90 percent of GMO crops contain genes to resist pests, plus an additional gene to allow the crops to tolerate the spraying of herbicide to remove weeds, without damaging the crops. While all GMOs can accidentally pollinate neighboring non-GMO crops through wind drift, the non-herbicide tolerant GMOs, such as Rainbow, do not appear to be a threat to humans or to the environment. On the other hand, there is compelling evidence that herbicide tolerant GMOs may be unsafe for contact with animals and are certainly damaging to the environment.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency are ready to approve new herbicide-tolerant GMO corn and soybeans developed by Monsanto and Dow. A recent press release from Dow AgroSciences stated, “An astonishing 86 percent of corn, soybean and cotton growers in the South have herbicide-resistant or hard to control weeds on their farms.” This admission by Dow demonstrates that its biggest money-making GMO product has failed and they want the USDA and EPA to approve its replacement as soon as possible.
So how did this happen? Monsanto, the inventor of Roundup, told USDA in 1993 that, “Glyphosate (Roundup) is considered to be a herbicide with low risk for weed resistance.” Some weed scientists were puzzled by Monsanto’s claim because their Roundup-resistant gene was discovered in live bacteria at Monsanto’s Roundup plant in Louisiana. The bacteria had survived in high concentrations of Roundup through mutations and evolution. This same natural process has been repeating itself in America’s farm lands, resulting in widespread weed resistance, causing herbicide use on U.S. farms to skyrocket. There are now 22 weed species resistant to Glyphosate. Thousands of acres of GMO crops, in the South have been plowed under because of the crop-choking, Glyphosate-resistant Palmer Amaranth weed.
Consequently, Dow and Monsanto have developed two new herbicide-tolerant GMOs that use two old and more toxic herbicides called Dicamba and 2-4,D. According to weed ecologists, 2-4,D and Dicamba are less environmentally friendly than Glyphosate and are 75 to 400 times more likely to injure non-target plants because of off-target drift. The Australian government banned all 2-4,D use in 2013 for these same reasons. Monsanto and Dow also believe that weed resistance will not be a problem with their herbicide tolerant GMOs. Monsanto made the same claim about Roundup in 1993, which turned out to be totally false. Weed experts believe that these new GMOs will unleash a new plague of super weeds, resistant to both 2-4,D and Glyphosate. And then what do farmers use? A new, safer herbicide has not been developed in a decade.
It was reported that Dow is field testing 2-4,D tolerant GMO corn in Hawaii. If true, the state should closely control any open-air spraying because of the possibility of drift damage to neighboring properties and damage to the health our children. Sadly, this problem must be dealt with here in Hawaii.
Our federal food safety system under USDA, EPA and the Food and Drug Administration has been compromised by corporate greed and the legalized bribery of elected officials through lax campaign finance laws. EPA and FDA are a revolving door for Big Agra employees. The head of food safety for FDA is a former Monsanto vice president.
Given the power of big corporations over our political system, the only good answer to this problem is GMO labeling.
Fred Pollock
Laupahoehoe