A petition with more than 4,000 signatures has been submitted to the Kauai County Clerk’s office to put a proposed charter amendment on the ballot that would regulate the use of pesticides and genetically modified organisms by commercial agricultural operations.
The Kauai County Council voted 6-1 Wednesday to accept the petition, with 4,400 signatures submitted by nonprofit organization Kaua‘i Rising. The signatures will be verified by the clerk’s office.
Putting a charter amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot requires 2,037 signatures, or 5 percent of the 40,738 registered voters who cast ballots in the 2012 general election. If the number of valid signatures does not meet the requirement, Kauai Rising will have until June 27 to collect additional signatures, according to County Clerk Ricky Watanabe.
The proposed amendment is similar to the county ordinance requiring large agricultural companies to disclose GMO use as well as the types of pesticides they use.
Under the charter amendment, agribusinesses would need to prove the materials they use are not a health hazard or harmful to the environment, said Felicia Cowden of Kaua‘i Rising, who testified at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
The Council questioned whether the petition was for a charter amendment or election initiative.
"It appears that it’s an attempt for local legislation," said Councilman Mel Rapozo. At the request of the Council, Deputy County Attorney Mona Clark will submit an opinion within a week on the matter.
Watanabe said 8,148 signatures or 20 percent of the number of registered voters in the 2012 election are required for an initiative.
On Maui, activists have submitted more than 9,000 signatures to the Maui County Clerk’s office in support of a moratorium on growing or testing genetically modified foods.
However, more than half of the signatures the group turned in last month were found to be invalid. The county clerk found duplicate signatures, insufficient or incorrect information and illegible signatures. Some people who signed were not registered to vote in Maui County.
The citizens’ initiative must have valid signatures of 8,465 Maui County voters to appear on the general-election ballot. Sustainable Hawaiian Agriculture for the Keiki and the Aina Movement earlier gathered 5,720 valid signatures.
The initiative seeks to ban GMOs in Maui County.
If the clerk’s office determines the signature requirement has been met, a proposed ordinance would be forwarded to the County Council for review. The Council would then have 60 days to act on the proposal.
———
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
