KEY POINTS AND FAQ REGARDING SB3095 HD1 (pesticide regulation)

What you can do to help:Respectfully email and/or call TODAY AND BEFORE APRIL 12th, and ask your district Senator, to support ACCEPTING SB 3095 HD1 - AS IS.If you live in a community impacted by heavy pesticide use share why this bill is important to your community.What will SB 3095 HD1 do? 1) Mandatory Disclosure: Requires the largest users of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP’S) to disclose what they are using.2) No Spray Zones Around Schools: Create 100’ no-spray zones around schools during school hours.3) Ban Chlorpyrifos: A phased in ban on the use and sale of the dangerous neurotoxin insecticide chlorpyrifos.Why is this important?Mandatory Reporting:Communities have been fighting for the basic right to know what pesticides they are exposed to for over a decade.Currently some data is reported voluntarily, but this data is not specific enough to use as the basis for studying health and environmental impacts. Without mandatory disclosure there is no accurate and reliable data on the use of RUP’s.Voluntary programs are unreliable because the data is not verified, and there is no penalty for non-compliance or providing inaccurate information.No Spray Zones Around Schools:There are at least 27 schools in Hawai‘i within a mile of commercial agricultural operations that apply large volumes of restricted-use pesticides.The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) finds there to be a significantly increased health risk for children exposed to pesticides, and additional precautions must be taken to protect them from unintended exposure.This year California enacted no-spray zones around schoolsBan on Chlorpyrifos:Chlorpyrifos is a threat to communities, farmworkers, marine life, and particularly young and developing children.Chlorpyrifos is a highly toxic brain-harming insecticide being used in high volumes in Hawai`i by a small number of farms. In Hawaii, 39 entities purchased a chlorpyrifos based RUP between 2015-2017.Several peer-reviewed studies link chlorpyrifos to permanent brain damage in children.The EPA was poised to ban use of chlorpyrifos on food crops prior to the Trump administration. Chlorpyrifos has already been banned for indoor use since 2001.SB3095 SD1 HD1 - FAQ’SWill this bill overburden small farmers with reporting requirements?No: Based on a review of restricted use pesticide (RUP) sales from 2015-2017 this provision would only affect 46 operations out of the 3,500 operations that declare farming as their primary income.Only 1.5% of farm operations in the Hawaii account for 99.5% of the RUP use in the State.Are other communities enacting buffer zones?Yes: In 2018 California enacted more stringent buffer zones prohibiting pesticide application during school hours. Because California has a similar acreage of agricultural operations and pesticide use to Hawaiʻi we should look to California for guidance.Will a ban on chlorpyrifos prevent Hawaiʻi from meeting its goals to increase local food production?No: Of the 3,500 farms mentioned above, only 39 entities purchased a chlorpyrifos based RUP between 2015-2017. Many of those farms are the same ones who made the list of the top 46 users of RUPs.The three-year phase-out will give this small number of users of chlorpyrifos time to find alternative solutions. During this three years period, users can apply for exemptions.Isn’t chlorpyrifos safe if you follow the label?No: The EPA 2016 Risk Assessment confirmed that there are no safe uses for the pesticide. EPA found that:All food exposures exceed safe levels, with children ages 1–2 exposed to levels of chlorpyrifos that are 140 times what EPA deems safe.There is no safe level of chlorpyrifos in drinking water.Pesticide drift reaches unsafe levels at 300 feet from the field’s edge.Chlorpyrifos is found at unsafe levels in the air at schools, homes, and communities in agricultural areas.All workers who mix and apply chlorpyrifos are exposed to unsafe levels of the pesticide even with maximum personal protective equipment and engineering controls.Field workers are allowed to re-enter fields within 1–5 days after pesticide spraying, but unsafe exposures continue on average 18 days after applications. https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/updated-human-health-risk-analyses-chlorpyrifosA complete list of all Senators (by District) with complete contact info is here: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/members/legislators.aspx?chamber=S