Information on restricted pesticide use in Hawaii was kept private until a 2018 law required transparency. Environmental advocates want more restrictions.
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Mahi Pono and paraquat: The 2020 sequel
The use of the paraquat-containing herbicide Gramoxone on Maui should drop dramatically in 2021, thanks to Mahi Pono’s decision last year to stop spraying it on weeds. However, prior to its halt, Maui’s largest landowner sprayed some 240 gallons of Gramoxone eight times on 974 acres of its 1,195-acre field at the intersection of the heavily-used Haleakala and Hana Highways from January to May, 2020. It sprayed an additional 21 gallons on 185 acres around Hawaiian Cement close to North Kihei on June 8, 2020.
The information is contained in the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s [HDOA] annual Restricted Use Pesticides [RUP] report mandated by a 2018 law–that details the use of agricultural chemicals not available for public use. RUP chemicals must only be applied by licensed applicators. Each year, all RUP treatments must be reported to the HDOA by the end of January. Politics on Maui recently obtained the 415-page Maui Coun