{"id":16100,"date":"2015-07-09T00:01:10","date_gmt":"2015-07-09T04:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=16100"},"modified":"2015-07-09T11:05:52","modified_gmt":"2015-07-09T15:05:52","slug":"federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Judge Overturns Maui GE Crop Moratorium"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, July 9, 2015)<\/em> Last week, a federal judge ruled <\/a>that a voter-passed ban on the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in Maui is preempted by federal and state law, and is invalid. According to the SHAKA Movement legal counsel<\/a>, the decision, at least temporarily, invalidates a local ordinance that sought to protect against serious harms caused by these practices, and ignores the harms to Maui county and the Hawaii Constitutional mandate placing obligations and duties on the counties to protect the natural environment. In addition to the SHAKA Movement, Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice have pledged to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe District Court\u2019s ruling is a big blow to Maui County voters that adopted this ordinance, given the dangers involved with GMO operations,\u201d said \u00a0SHAKA spokesperson Mark Sheehan, PhD, \"Maui_Landsat_Photo\"<\/a>who was also one of the five citizens who sponsored the ballot initiative. \u201cWe do intend to appeal this decision and are hopeful that the 9th Circuit will recognize the impact that today\u2019s ruling has on the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

In November 2014, Maui residents passed a ballot initiative prohibiting the growth, testing or cultivation of GE crops in Maui County until an environmental and public health study can show that the planting operations are safe for the community. Just nine days after the Maui initiative passed, Monsanto, along with Dow-owned Agrigenetics and several industry-friendly groups, sued Maui County<\/a>, seeking to have the moratorium thrown out, claiming that local governments are preempted<\/a> from enacting pesticide legislation more restrictive than Hawai\u2019i state law. It also asked the court to temporarily delay the measure\u2019s effectiveness by issuing an injunction. \u00a0Maui County immediately embraced the chance to block the will of its voters and agreed to an injunction until March 2015. \u00a0However, several Maui County residents, \u00a0along with the SHAKA Movement, filed a preemptive lawsuit <\/a>against the county, Monsanto and Dow, seeking to assure transparency and influence over the implementation of the initiative, in light of the enormous amount of money that the companies have poured into the county in an attempt to beat the initiative.<\/p>\n

In the recent ruling, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway stressed that the order only addresses the legal question of county authority, and does not look at whether genetically engineered crops are \u201cgood or bad.\u201d Dr. Sheehan expressed disappointment that the ruling turned on \u00a0procedural issues instead of addressing the substance of their argument, as the ordinance was specifically written to address issues not found in state statute. Further, he said the law requires the county to protect the health of the environment and the public. “That was lost on the judge, so we will have to move along and have to find justice for the constitutional rights of the people of Maui at another level,\u201d Dr. Sheehan told the Associated Press. <\/em><\/p>\n

Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice issued a joint statement in response to the decision:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply disappointed with Chief District Court Judge Mollway\u2019s very unfortunate and legally incorrect ruling that Maui County\u2019s genetically engineered (GE) crop ordinance is contrary to state and federal law. \u00a0Worse, we were wrongly denied the ability to defend the Maui ordinance by the court, despite the county refusing to defend it<\/a>, a decision we have appealed. We will also continue to fight for the right of all Hawai\u201d\u02dci communities to protect their children and environment from the activities of these chemical companies, in our ongoing appeals of the Kaua\u201d\u02dci Ordinance and Big Island GE ordinance cases, currently before the Ninth Circuit. This decision is wrong, and we are confident the Court of Appeals will agree with us, and uphold the rights of all communities to protect their families, farms, and environments from the harms of genetically engineered crops and pesticides.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Residents living on the Hawaiian Islands are subject to a particularly pronounced form of environmental assault, as the state\u2019s premiere growing conditions have made it a prime target for agrichemical companies to test new, experimental forms of GE crops. Data released last year reveals that \u00a0high levels of restricted use pesticides<\/a>, in some cases almost double the pounds per acre average of other states, are being used in Kauai County. According to the Center for Food Safety, in \u00a02014 alone<\/a>, \u00a0there were 1,381 field test sites in Hawaii, compared to only 178 sites in California- a large agricultural state. Most of these crops are engineered to resist herbicides and pesticides. Testing these crops means repeated spraying of dangerous chemicals near neighborhoods, schools, and waterways. \u00a0Residents of the Hawaiian Islands that live, work, or go to school near these fields are \u00a0subject to incessant \u00a0<\/a>pesticide<\/a> \u00a0spraying<\/a>, as the climate provides a year-round growing season for GE crops. \u00a0A May 2014 report<\/a> \u00a0found 25 herbicides, 11 insecticides and 6 fungicides in Hawaii\u2019s waterways, underscoring resident concerns for both the land and human health.<\/p>\n

In response to all of the harms that the chemical companies have imposed on Hawaii, there has been a growing movement on the Islands seeking to protect health and the environment while strengthening local food economies and resiliency. Kaua\u2019i County Councilmember Gary Hooser recently attended <\/a>a shareholder meeting for the chemical giant Syngenta, in Basel, Switzerland, where he brought a straightforward message to the corporation and its shareholders. \u201cWithdraw the lawsuit from the County of Kaua\u00ca\u00bbi, honor and comply with our laws. Treat us with the same respect, the same dignity and the same protections that you give the people of Switzerland. Do not spray chemicals in my community that you cannot spray in your own community,\u201d he said. The Councilmember was referencing the use of the herbicides atrazine<\/a> and paraquat<\/a>, chemicals which are banned from use in Switzerland, but sprayed constantly and even found in drinking water<\/a> in Hawaii communities. Earlier this year, state legislators announced that they would introduce a proposal to establish pesticide-free zones<\/a> around schools and hospitals throughout the state. However, despite garnering wide support across Hawaii, with many groups and individuals, including Councilmember Hooser<\/a>, coming together during a rally to ask for passage of these much needed pesticide protections, the Hawaii state House agriculture committee ultimately rejected the bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other localities have had more success at banning the planting of GE crops. Jackson and Josephine County in Oregon voted overwhelmingly<\/a> to ban the cultivation, production, and distribution of GE crops within their borders. The two ordinances were both approved overwhelmingly, but fought an uphill legal battle when the state of Oregon passed a law<\/a> in October 2013 stating that only the state can regulate seeds, which was pushed at the behest of out-of-state chemical companies. Though Jackson County was granted an exemption, two GE farmers sought to overturn the ban and brought suit against the county. Fortunately, in a victory for organic farmers, and non-GE farmers who constantly struggle<\/a> with the threat of GE contamination, the federal judge rejected the request, and upheld the ban.<\/a> \u201cWe fought the most powerful and influential chemical companies in the world and we won,\u201d Elise Higley, a Jackson County farmer and representative from \u00a0Our Family Farms Coalition told Oregon Live<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Beyond Pesticides continues to support the efforts of all farmers, counties, states, and countries to protect themselves against the unwanted invasion of GE crops and the risks that they bring to the environment and health. Please visit our Genetic Engineering webpage<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n

Source: Associated Press<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, July 9, 2015) Last week, a federal judge ruled that a voter-passed ban on the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in Maui is preempted by federal and state law, and is invalid. According to the SHAKA Movement legal counsel, the decision, at least temporarily, invalidates a local ordinance that sought to protect against serious harms caused by these practices, and ignores the harms to Maui county and the Hawaii Constitutional mandate placing obligations and duties on the counties to protect the natural environment. In addition to the SHAKA Movement, Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice have pledged to appeal the decision. \u201cThe District Court\u2019s ruling is a big blow to Maui County voters that adopted this ordinance, given the dangers involved with GMO operations,\u201d said \u00a0SHAKA spokesperson Mark Sheehan, PhD, who was also one of the five citizens who sponsored the ballot initiative. \u201cWe do intend to appeal this decision and are hopeful that the 9th Circuit will recognize the impact that today\u2019s ruling has on the community.\u201d In November 2014, Maui residents passed a ballot initiative prohibiting the growth, testing or cultivation of GE crops in Maui County until an environmental and public health study can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[249,124,312,215,5,130,62,9,192,10,343,56,93,19,276],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-agriculture","category-announcements","category-contamination","category-farmworkers","category-genetic-engineering","category-hawaii","category-litigation","category-national-politics","category-chemical-trespass-drift","category-pesticide-regulation","category-pesticide-residues","category-pets","category-pollinators","category-statelocal","category-take-action"],"yoast_head":"\nFederal Judge Overturns Maui GE Crop Moratorium - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Federal Judge Overturns Maui GE Crop Moratorium - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Beyond Pesticides, July 9, 2015) Last week, a federal judge ruled that a voter-passed ban on the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) crops in Maui is preempted by federal and state law, and is invalid. 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In addition to the SHAKA Movement, Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice have pledged to appeal the decision. \u201cThe District Court\u2019s ruling is a big blow to Maui County voters that adopted this ordinance, given the dangers involved with GMO operations,\u201d said \u00a0SHAKA spokesperson Mark Sheehan, PhD, who was also one of the five citizens who sponsored the ballot initiative. \u201cWe do intend to appeal this decision and are hopeful that the 9th Circuit will recognize the impact that today\u2019s ruling has on the community.\u201d In November 2014, Maui residents passed a ballot initiative prohibiting the growth, testing or cultivation of GE crops in Maui County until an environmental and public health study can […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-09T04:01:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-07-09T15:05:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Maui_Landsat_Photo-300x236.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ByondPesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ByondPesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beyond Pesticides\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b5c0a0981b549cc5b628770073031f4\"},\"headline\":\"Federal Judge Overturns Maui GE Crop Moratorium\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-09T04:01:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-07-09T15:05:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/\"},\"wordCount\":1247,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Maui_Landsat_Photo-300x236.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Agriculture\",\"Announcements\",\"Contamination\",\"Farmworkers\",\"Genetic Engineering\",\"Hawaii\",\"Litigation\",\"National Politics\",\"Pesticide Drift\",\"Pesticide Regulation\",\"Pesticide Residues\",\"Pets\",\"Pollinators\",\"State\/Local\",\"Take Action\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/\",\"name\":\"Federal Judge Overturns Maui GE Crop Moratorium - 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According to the SHAKA Movement legal counsel, the decision, at least temporarily, invalidates a local ordinance that sought to protect against serious harms caused by these practices, and ignores the harms to Maui county and the Hawaii Constitutional mandate placing obligations and duties on the counties to protect the natural environment. In addition to the SHAKA Movement, Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice have pledged to appeal the decision. \u201cThe District Court\u2019s ruling is a big blow to Maui County voters that adopted this ordinance, given the dangers involved with GMO operations,\u201d said \u00a0SHAKA spokesperson Mark Sheehan, PhD, who was also one of the five citizens who sponsored the ballot initiative. \u201cWe do intend to appeal this decision and are hopeful that the 9th Circuit will recognize the impact that today\u2019s ruling has on the community.\u201d In November 2014, Maui residents passed a ballot initiative prohibiting the growth, testing or cultivation of GE crops in Maui County until an environmental and public health study can […]","og_url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/","og_site_name":"Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/","article_published_time":"2015-07-09T04:01:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2015-07-09T15:05:52+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Maui_Landsat_Photo-300x236.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Beyond Pesticides","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_site":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beyond Pesticides","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/"},"author":{"name":"Beyond Pesticides","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b5c0a0981b549cc5b628770073031f4"},"headline":"Federal Judge Overturns Maui GE Crop Moratorium","datePublished":"2015-07-09T04:01:10+00:00","dateModified":"2015-07-09T15:05:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/"},"wordCount":1247,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Maui_Landsat_Photo-300x236.jpg","articleSection":["Agriculture","Announcements","Contamination","Farmworkers","Genetic Engineering","Hawaii","Litigation","National Politics","Pesticide Drift","Pesticide Regulation","Pesticide Residues","Pets","Pollinators","State\/Local","Take Action"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/","url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/07\/federal-judge-overturns-maui-ge-crop-moratorium\/","name":"Federal Judge Overturns Maui GE Crop Moratorium - 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