An attorney representing two Maui families in a lawsuit against Monsanto responded Tuesday to the company’s recent admission of illegally using, transporting, and storing the banned pesticide methyl parathion, also known as Penncap-M, at locations in Maui County in 2014. “Monsanto’s illegal conduct in spraying a banned pesticide at its Kihei facility in 2014 clearly […]
Maui News Feature
Monsanto to Pay $10.2M for Illegal Pesticide Use: Kihei residents and activists warned about violations for years
The year was 2014, and Maui was in the middle of a political revolution: For the first time in the county’s history, a voters’ initiative made it onto the ballot, signalling an unprecedented effort of grassroots activism to directly govern with community-drafted and -approved legislation. The issue was genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the biotechnology-agrochemical […]
Is the MRA Legal? Councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez challenges the Maui Redevelopment Agency’s authority
A meeting of the Maui Redevelopment Agency regarding possible zoning changes to Wailuku Town drew passionate community testimony on Friday, Nov. 15, sparked largely by news of a six-story, 156-room hotel planned for the area at the corner of Market and Main Streets. The changes within the MRA’s draft zoning code amendment include, most notably, […]
‘This DEIS Is Deficient’: Sierra Club, Maui Tomorrow, and others weigh in on A&B/Mahi Pono’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a 30-year water lease
The public comment period for Mahi Pono/Alexander & Baldwin’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) closed last week, and judging from the dozens of pages of responses I’ve read, this DEIS has more holes in it than bleached coral. Those stalwart folks who actually pored through the 2,700-page tome seemed to find scant substance and lots […]
‘The Community Is At A Breaking Point’: Last week’s massive ‘o‘opu fish kill reignites conflict over Wailuku River
Hundreds, if not thousands, of ‘o‘opu (goby) died in the Wailuku River last week in what’s been called a “substantial fish kill” by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Interim Instream Flow Standard (IIFS) which dictates the share of water permitted to be taken from the river by private entities was suspended […]