The Hawai‘i County Council Committee on Agriculture, Water, Energy and Environmental Management voted 7-0 today to advance Bill 101, a pesticide ban in Hawai‘i County, with a positive recommendation to the Council late Tuesday night. The bill prohibits the use of toxic pesticides and herbicides on all Hawai‘i County roads, parks, waterways, drainage ways, trails, sidewalks and bikeways. The bill was introduced by Councilwoman Rebecca Shute-Villegas. Realtor and mother Ivory K

The safety of glyphosate herbicides (one common brand name is Roundup) and others used by the county became a much-discussed topic after a visit to Hawaii in June by Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, who won the first lawsuit against Monsanto after contracting non-Hodgkins lymphoma from exposure to glyphosate as a school groundskeeper. Johnson spoke with Hawaii County Department heads, and then at a community meeting in Oahu voicing concerns about the use of herbicides and pesticides by