Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
The Kauai County Council has approved a request from the Office of the County Attorney for additional funds to defend the new law regulating pesticides and genetically modified organisms.
The Council on Wednesday authorized $50,000 for continued special counsel services in a federal lawsuit filed by seed companies. So far, the total amount for special counsel services is $175,000.
In February the Council authorized the county attorney’s office to spend up to $75,000 to retain special counsel and approved an additional $50,000 in July.
The county is being represented by Honolulu firm McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon.
Four seed companies — Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer, BASF and Agrigenetics Inc., doing business as Dow AgroSciences — filed the lawsuit claiming the county’s law is pre-empted by state and federal regulations.
Four nonprofit organizations — Ka Makani Ho’opono, the Center for Food Safety, the Pesticide Action Network North America and the Surfrider Foundation — have joined the county in defending itself.
The law requires large agricultural operations to disclose the type of pesticides they spray on their fields and their use of genetically modified organisms. Companies must also establish buffer zones near schools, medical facilities, dwellings, parks, public roadways, shorelines and waterways.
It is scheduled to be implemented Oct. 1.
77