Report Title:

Pesticide Management

 

Description:

Establishes integrated pest management policies to prohibit the use of toxicity category I pesticides.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1039

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO PESTICIDES.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that it shall be the policy of the State to:

(1) Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticide applications by various departments; and

(2) Develop and implement integrated pest management policies in state and county departments.

SECTION 2. The Hawaii Revised Statutes is amended by adding a new chapter to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"CHAPTER

STATE PESTICIDE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

§   -l Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the content clearly requires otherwise:

"Department" means any state or county agency or office.

"Integrated pest management" means a pest management method that:

(1) Combines biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools to minimize health, environmental, and financial risks;

(2) Uses extensive knowledge about pests, such as infestation thresholds, life histories, environmental requirements, and natural enemies to complement and facilitate biological and other natural control of pests; and

(3) Uses the least toxic synthetic pesticides only as a last resort to controlling pests.

"Pest" means any insect, rodent, nematode, fungus, weed, or any other form of terrestrial or aquatic plant or animal life or virus, bacterium, or any other microorganism, except viruses, bacterium, or any other microorganisms on or in living humans or other living animals, that the department of agriculture declares to be a pest.

"Pesticide" means:

(1) Any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest;

(2) Any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant; and

(3) Any substance or mixture of substances that may infest or be detrimental to vegetation, humans, animals, or households, or be present in any agricultural or nonagricultural environment.

"Toxicity category I pesticide" means any pesticide that meets United States Environmental Protection Agency criteria for toxicity category I under the Code of Federal Regulations.

§   -2 Toxicity category I pesticides. Effective July 1, 2003, no department shall use:

(1) Any toxicity category I pesticide;

(2) Any pesticide containing a chemical identified by the State as a chemical known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity; and

(3) Any pesticide classified as a human carcinogen, probable human carcinogen, or possible human carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances.

§   -3 Reduction in use of pesticides. By January 1, 2004, any department that uses one or more pesticides, other than the pesticides subject to the ban under section    -2, shall reduce by fifty per cent the cumulative volume of the pesticides that it used in calendar year 2002. By January 1, 2006, any department that uses one or more pesticides, other than the pesticides subject to the ban under section    -2, shall reduce by one hundred per cent the cumulative volume of the pesticides that it used in calendar year 2002, except for those pesticides that the director of health has reviewed and approved for use for purposes of protection of public safety or public health.

§   -4 Notice of pesticide use. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), not later than one hundred twenty days after the effective date of this Act, any department using any pesticide shall comply with the following notification procedures:

(1) Signs shall be posted at least four days before application of the pesticide and remain posted at least four days after application of the pesticide;

(2) Signs shall be posted:

(A) At every entry point where the pesticide is applied, if the pesticide is applied in an enclosed area; and

(B) In highly visible locations around the perimeter of the area where the pesticide is applied, if the pesticide is applied in an open area; and

(3) Signs shall contain the name and active ingredient of the pesticide, target pest, date of pesticide use, signal word indicating the toxicity category of the pesticide, date for re-entry to the area treated, and name and contact number for the city department responsible for the pesticide application.

(b) A department shall not be required to post signs in accordance with subsection (a) in right of way locations that the general public does not use for recreational purposes; provided that each department that uses pesticides in right of way locations shall develop and maintain a public access telephone number about pesticide applications in the right of way areas. The public access number shall provide the following information regarding any pesticide that will be applied within the next four days or has been applied within the last four days:

(1) Description of the area of the pesticide application;

(2) Name and active ingredient of the pesticide;

(3) Target pest;

(4) Date of pesticide use;

(5) Signal word indicating the toxicity category of the pesticide;

(6) Re-entry date for the area treated; and

(7) Name and contact number for the department responsible for the pesticide application.

Information about the public access telephone number shall be posted in a public location at the department.

§   -5 Development and implementation of integrated pest management policy. (a) Any department that uses pesticides shall develop and implement an integrated pest management policy.

(b) The department of health shall develop and implement integrated pest management policies that emphasize the least toxic alternatives to pesticides to assist departments in preparation of their integrated pest management policy. The integrated pest management policy shall:

(1) Identify resources the department has and those it will need to implement the policy, including personnel trained in integrated pest management practices; and

(2) Identify the actions the department is taking to obtain any needed resources to implement the policy.

(c) The chairperson of the board of agriculture shall assist departments in implementing integrated pest management.

(d) Each department required to develop an integrated pest management policy shall submit a draft of its policy to the department of health. The department of health shall review and may make recommendations on the draft integrated pest management policy regarding conformity with long-term plans for environmental sustainability adopted by the department of health.

(e) No later than December 1, 2003, and quarterly thereafter, departments that use pesticides shall report to the department of health on the status of their efforts to adopt and implement integrated pest management policies. The department of health shall provide an annual report to the legislature on the status of department efforts.

§   -6 Recordkeeping of pesticide usage. Each department that uses pesticides shall keep records of pesticide usage. Each record shall include the following information:

(1) The pesticide used;

(2) The site of the pesticide application;

(3) The date the pesticide was used;

(4) The name of the pesticide applicator; and

(5) The application equipment used.

Records shall be made available to the public upon request in accordance with section 92-21.

§   -7 Exemptions. This chapter shall not apply to the use of any pesticide for the purpose of maintaining or improving water quality at drinking water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, reservoirs, and related collection, distribution, and treatment facilities."

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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