6,000 Demand Hawaii Senate Rescind Monsanto Lobbyist Appointment

6,000 Demand Senate Rescind Monsanto Lobbyist Appointment

On Thursday, February 28, at 3pm, organizers will deliver a petition asking Hawaii Senate President Donna Mercado Kim to rescind her appointment of Monsanto Lobbyist, Alan Takemoto, to the Water Commission nominating committee.

The appointment of an employee of the controversial Monsanto corporation angered organizers who point out that Monsanto has been turned down twice for bigger shares of Oahu and Maui water allotments. Organizers are concerned that another pro-Monsanto Water Commissioner could tip the balance of power towards Monsanto next time they ask for a bigger water allotment.

“It is inexplicable that with respected UH professors, literally hundreds of trained geologists and watershed experts, that the Senate would appoint a partisan multinational corporate lobbyist instead,” said organizer, Karen Chun. “Here on Maui we have rationing and our county controls only about 9% of our water with a lion’s share being taken by large agricultural corporations like Monsanto. Ag corporations know how to USE water – they are not experts in the skills required to manage and protect water supplies.”

Local activist Nomi Kaheaonalani Carmona, who will present the petition added, “Our ethics laws need strengthening. It is beyond belief that a corporate representative with a clear agenda of wanting more water would have a voice in who serves on the Water Commission. What was the Senate thinking?”

The petition is located at http://signon.org/sign/rescind-monsanto-lobbyist?mailing_id=9569&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=2101093.