Heads Up! Agribusiness Development Corporation proposed exemptions to Environmental Impact Statement requirements include “research activities” (think GMO/Experimental/Pesticides)

Posted on September 24, 2025 by garyhooser

The Environmental Notice provides public notice for projects undergoing environmental review in Hawaiʻi as mandated under Section 343-3, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, the Environmental Impact Statement Law

“The following agency exemption list, which serves as guidance for the agency in making exemptions, has been submitted to the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) for review and concurrence. At the request of the EAC, this draft exemption list is being published for public review and comment. Please click on the following link to view the list and submit any comments by October 8, 2025 to dbedt.opsd.erp@hawaii.gov ”

Comprehensive Exemption List for the State of Hawaii, Agribusiness Development Corporation.

Important: Some of these proposed exemptions appear to be designed to specifically circumvent the current requirement (per recent Syngenta court case) that experimental research activity conducted on state owned agricultural lands must undergo a thorough environmental review as per HRS343.

Note on page 13 item 15 proposes exemptions for “research…into all aspects of agricultural production and processing”.

In addition there are other apparent blanket exemptions proposed for research connected activities and pesticide/chemical use etc

Please take a moment and read through the proposed exemptions and offer your comments ASAP and prior to October 8 to dbedt.opsd.erp@hawaii.gov


Gary Hooser

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About garyhooser

This blog represents my thoughts as an individual person and does not represent the official position of any organization I may be affiliated with. I presently serve as volunteer President of the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action (H.A.P.A.) www.hapahi.org I am the former Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii. In another past life, I was an elected member of the Kauai County Council, a Hawaii State Senator, and Majority Leader, and the Director of Environmental Quality Control for the State of Hawaii - in an even earlier incarnation I was an entrepreneur and small business owner. Yes, I am one of the luckiest guys on the planet. Please visit my website AND sign up for my newsletter (unlike any email newsletter you have ever gotten, of that I am sure) - http://www.garyhooser.com/#four “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We’re afraid.” “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We will fall!” “Come to the edge.” And they came. And he pushed them. And they flew. - Christopher Logue (b.1926)
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