|
Diana LaBedz (far left) is a Kaua'i resident that has been a strong environmental advocate for decades. She organized the Eco-Link, a roundtable of environmental groups, and similarly named television show, in Long Beach, CA. Diana was also instrumental in organizing the recent Kaua'i Eco-Roundtable Event as well. Diana continues her extensive work to stop active sonar testing in the oceans and, as an active Surfrider Kaua'i Member, is organizing the "Peace in the Pacific" Rally at KCC on March 16th, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM.
Dr. Marsha Green (near left) is a Professor at Albright College where she developed the Psychobiology concentration at Albright College and teaches courses in Animal Behavior, Behavioral Neuroscience, Ecological Psychology and Field Research on the Hawaiian Humpback Whale. She received an award for creative scholarship from Albright College in 2004. She does research on the impact of thrill craft, boats and engine noise on whales and dolphins in Hawaii and studies humpback whale social vocalizations. She founded the Ocean Mammal Institute in 1995. The Institute does research and educates individuals about threats to marine mammals.
She became interested in the impact of high intensity sonar on marine mammals and fish in 1998 when she sent a research team to observe whales during lsonar testing off the Big Island of Hawaii. She tried to obtain a restraining order to stop these tests. In 2000 she organized a symposium on Low Frequency Active Sonar. She lectures in the US and Europe on the impact of human-produced ocean noise and marine life. She serves as scientific advisor to the European Coalition for Silent Oceans (ECSO) and has advised the European Federation of Green Parties on the high intensity active sonar issue.
Since 2002 she has been working with the EU Parliament on the high intensity active sonar issue. She delivered a petition to their Petitions Committee in June, 2003 requesting the member states of the European Union to adopt a moratorium on the deployment of low-frequency active sonar until a global assessment of its cumulative environmental impacts can be prepared. The petition was signed by 67 environmental and animal welfare organizations representing 8.3 million members in the US, Canada and Europe. The Parliament adopted a resolution in 2004 calling on Member States to restrict active sonar use until an assessment of its impact was completed.
In October, 2003 she and ECSO organized a delegation of scientists, members of the EU Parliament and environmentalists to deliver petitions to NATO and discuss NATO's potential leadership role in calling for the mitigation of the use of high intensity active sonars. The delegation met with NATO officials and emphasized the need for a Multinational Task Force to develop international regulations on ocean noise.
She served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Acoustic Impacts on Marine Mammals formed under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to evaluate information on the impacts of human-generated sound on marine mammals and the marine environment, identify areas of scientific agreement and disagreement, identify research needs and recommend management actions to help avoid and mitigate adverse effects of anthropogenic sounds. The committee's recommendations were included in a report to Congress from the Marine Mammal Commission.
She founded the International Ocean Noise Coalition which is currently working to develop international ocean noise regulations in various intergovernmental fora including the United Nations. She presented position papers on ocean noise at the United Nations meeting on Oceans and the Law of the Sea in 1995 and 1996.
The County of Kaua'i is now discussing Bill 2202, potentially the new county housing bill. There is one area in the bill that is very important that we need to push for. The bill basically creates affordable and workforce housing a requirement for developers to provide in future projects. The portion that we feel is important to note is WHEN it is required of a developer. The current bill states that would occur when the property is zoned. Great news for any future projects that will be zoned but what about the 10,000 plus units that have already be zoned in the 80's and 90's, which is what is being developed today?
The answer is that the bill should require the new housing being tied to building permits as well. That means that projects that were zoned years ago will still have to comply with the new law because it could be tied to building permits, which in most cases have not been issued yet.
Two affects will come from this, first, there will be more affordable housing whenever a new development takes place and second, if the margins are too slim for developers perhaps they will decide not to develop at all.
We are in a situation where we are giving it all away to a few and the rest of us are getting stuck with the bill and no housing to boot. Please write to support the idea of adding buidling permitting to the requirements.
You can see a copy of Maui's bill, ordinance #3418 here: http://www.mauicounty.gov/county/clerkSub/ordinances.php
A copy of Kaua'i's Housing Policy bill #2202 here
A breakdown of the issue as a single page here
For more information on the show and format please visit this link.
Additional local, sustainable news can be found at www.kauaian.net/blog.
Susan Keller
kcfb@hawaiiantel.net
Kauai County Farm Bureau
Voice of Kaua'i Agriculture
P.O. Box 3895
Lihue, Hawai'i 96766
Stay connected! Sign up for our monthly newsletter and action alerts:
|
