It’s good to be ahead of the curve.

A federal appeals court on Thursday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to ban chlorpyrifos, a farm pesticide shown to hinder development in children, within 60 days. The ruling came months after Hawaii’s Legislature abided the science, making the state the first in the U.S. to ban the chemical. The EPA had been on track for a ban until reversing course under then-Director Scott Pruitt; he quit last month amid ethics scandals. Hawaii’s ban takes effect Jan. 1, 2019, though the state Agriculture Department can exempt agricultural businesses through December 2022.

Keep campaigns out of Hawaii County relief plans

How much will Hawaii County need to recover from the latest Kilauea eruption? The estimate is in from Mayor Harry Kim, and it’s a whopper: as much as $600 million. The estimate, provided just days before Saturday’s primary election, came with few details — “a draft in the making,” according to county Managing Director Wil Okabe. “We were just giving courtesy information.”

Kim gave the draft to Gov. David Ige but apparently not to state House leadership, which reacted with irritation, especially since Kim has endorsed Ige for re-election, while the leadership supports his opponent, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa.

Hawaii County needs help, not partisan politicking. All the parties involved would do well to tread carefully.