January, 29 2010, 11:48am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Email:,info(at)fwwatch(dot)org,Seth Gladstone -,sgladstone@fwwatch.org
For Hawaii, New Bills on Ocean Fish Farming are Two Steps Forward, and One Step Back
Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter
WASHINGTON
"This week, three bills were introduced in the Hawaii State Legislature
that have the potential to significantly impact the integrity of
Hawaii's ocean resources, and the vital role they play in the state's
economy and lives of its residents.
"Introduced by
Representatives Mele Carroll (D-13), Faye Hanohano (D-4) and Hermina
Morita (D-14) HB 2958, the "Hawaiian Cultural Practices and Marine
Resources Protection Act of 2010" would place a moratorium on the
development of new commercial offshore aquaculture operations in state
waters, from the coastline out to three miles from shore. The two
existing facilities in Hawaii would be allowed to continue operations
until they decide to end production, but could not transfer permits to
another owner. While aquaculture research activities could continue, no
further commercial operations would be approved by the state.
"Ocean
fish farming, the mass production of fish in floating pens or cages in
ocean waters, is associated with many well documented ecological
problems - water pollution, spread of diseases and parasites,
interference with marine mammals and more. In Hawaii, such facilities
also conflict with native cultural rights and practices. Food &
Water Watch applauds these Representatives for taking a stand to stop
the reckless and unnecessary expansion of the ocean fish farming
industry in Hawaii.
"A second bill directly addresses the need
to understand potential impacts from ocean fish farms and recognizes
that aquaculture facilities operate using public resources. SB 2486,
"Related to Submerged Lands Leasing, introduced by Senators Brickwood
Galuteria (D-12), Robert Bunda(D-23), David Ige (D-13), and Michelle
Kidani (D-17) would require that all offshore aquaculture applicants
complete an Environmental Impact Statement, and that a royalty payment
based on a percentage of their gross sales be made to the state. Food
& Water Watch supports SB 2486 because it closes the loophole
allowing offshore aquaculture operators to obtain permits without a
thorough review of potential impacts they could cause.
"While we
support the efforts of these first two bills, a third bill fails to
safeguard Hawaii's marine resources, consumers and indigenous cultures.
Rather, it promotes long-term corporate exploitation of resources. HB
2409, "Relating to Aquaculture", introduced by Representative Clift
Tsuiji (D-3), increases lease terms for aquaculture ventures from 35
years to 45 years, allowing for a maximum term of 65 years for those
with so-called 'favorable' track records. Given documented cases of
environmental damage and disregard for cultural rights, further
extending the time for these corporations to reap private profits from
public natural resources is irresponsible.
"Tsuiji's bill does
not serve the best interests of Hawaii's natural and cultural
resources. Restoring traditional fish ponds and implementing land-based
recirculating aquaponic systems are two sustainable and culturally
appropriate technologies for raising fish. We urge policy makers in
Hawaii and elsewhere to explore these innovations, in place of
encouraging the perpetuation of an industry that can do more harm than
good."
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
(202) 683-2500LATEST NEWS
'Make Polio Great Again': Alarm Over RFK Jr. Lawyer Who Targeted Vaccine
"So if you're wondering if Donald Trump is trying to kill your kids, yes, yes he is," said one critic.
Dec 13, 2024
Public health advocates, federal lawmakers, and other critics responded with alarm to The New York Timesreporting on Friday that an attorney helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. select officials for the next Trump administration tried to get the U.S. regulators to revoke approval of the polio vaccine in 2022.
"The United States has been a leader in the global fight to eradicate polio, which is poised to become only the second disease in history to be eliminated from the face of the earth after smallpox," said Liza Barrie, Public Citizen's campaign director for global vaccines access. "Undermining polio vaccination efforts now risks reversing decades of progress and unraveling one of the greatest public health achievements of all time."
Public Citizen is among various organizations that have criticized President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, with the watchdog's co-president, Robert Weissman, saying that "he shouldn't be allowed in the building... let alone be placed in charge of the nation's public health agency."
Although Kennedy's nomination requires Senate confirmation, he is already speaking with candidates for top health positions, with help from Aaron Siri, an attorney who represented RFK Jr. during his own presidential campaign, the Times reported. Siri also represents the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) in petitions asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "to withdraw or suspend approval of vaccines not only for polio, but also for hepatitis B."
According to the newspaper:
Mr. Siri is also representing ICAN in petitioning the FDA to "pause distribution" of 13 other vaccines, including combination products that cover tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A, until their makers disclose details about aluminum, an ingredient researchers have associated with a small increase in asthma cases.
Mr. Siri declined to be interviewed, but said all of his petitions were filed on behalf of clients. Katie Miller, a spokeswoman for Mr. Kennedy, said Mr. Siri has been advising Mr. Kennedy but has not discussed his petitions with any of the health nominees. She added, "Mr. Kennedy has long said that he wants transparency in vaccines and to give people choice."
After the article was published, Siri called it a "typical NYT hit piece plainly written by those lacking basic reading and thinking skills," and posted a series of responses on social media. He wrote in part that "ICAN's petition to the FDA seeks to revoke a particular polio vaccine, IPOL, and only for infants and children and only until a proper trial is conducted, because IPOL was licensed in 1990 by Sanofi based on pediatric trials that, according to FDA, reviewed safety for only three days after injection."
The Times pointed out that experts consider placebo-controlled trials that would deny some children polio shots unethical, because "you're substituting a theoretical risk for a real risk," as Dr. Paul A. Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, explained. "The real risks are the diseases."
Ayman Chit, head of vaccines for North America at Sanofi, told the newspaper that development of the vaccine began in 1977, over 280 million people worldwide have received it, and there have been more than 300 studies, some with up to six months of follow-up.
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Asked about RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine record during a Time "Person of the Year" interview published Thursday, the president-elect said that "we're going to be able to do very serious testing" and certain vaccines could be made unavailable "if I think it's dangerous."
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Both comments generated concern—like the Friday reporting in the Times, which University of Alabama law professor and MSNBC columnist Joyce White Vance called "absolutely terrifying."
She was far from alone. HuffPost senior front page editor Philip Lewis said that "this is just so dangerous and ridiculous" while Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan declared, "We are so—and I use this word advisedly—fucked."
Ryan Cooper, managing editor at The American Prospect, warned that "they want your kids dead."
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Multiple critics altered Trump's campaign slogan to "Make Polio Great Again."
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) responded with a video on social media:
Without naming anyone, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor, put out a lengthy statement on Friday.
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"It's a big slap in the face for us once again," Amanda Lorah—who was sentenced by Conahan to five years of juvenile detention over a high school fight—toldWBRE.
Sandy Fonzo, whose son killed himself after being sentenced to juvenile detention, said in a statement: "I am shocked and I am hurt. Conahan's actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son's death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power."
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Many of Conahan's victims were first-time or low-level offenders. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court would later throw out thousands of cases adjudicated by the Conahan and Ciaverella, the latter of whom is serving a 28-year sentence for his role in the scheme.
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Others have called on Biden—who earlier this month pardoned his son Hunter Biden after promising he wouldn't—to grant clemency to people including Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier and environmental lawyer Steven Donziger.
"There's never going to be any closure for us."
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As Israel continues to decimate the Gaza Strip with American weapons, 77 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives this week demanded that the Biden administration "provide a full assessment of the status of Israel's compliance with all relevant U.S. policies and laws, including National Security Memorandum 20 (NSM-20) and Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act."
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House Democrats' letter begins by declaring support for "Israel's right to self-defense," denouncing the Hamas-led October 2023 attack, and endorsing the Biden administration's efforts "to broker a bilateral cease-fire that includes the release of hostages," noting the deal recently negotiated for the Israeli government and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
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