Kaua’i Environmental Assessment
Sample Comment

I’m OPPOSED to this “Wolbachia-based Suppression of Mosquitoes on Kaua’i” Environmental Assessment. I demand that the State of Hawaii and its multi-agency partnership Birds, Not Mosquitoes complete a detailed, full scope Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) documenting the impacts to our native birds, environment, and public health.

This planned project is a dangerous experiment on the land, birds, wildlife, and people of these islands. The lab-infected biopesticide mosquitoes come with many risks, including horizontal transmission of the introduced bacteria strain, increased pathogen infection in mosquitoes, irreversible evolutionary events, population replacement, accidental release of lab-reared females, creation of lab-strain females in the wild, horizontal gene transfer, biopesticide wind drift, and mosquitoes becoming more capable of transmitting avian malaria and West Nile virus (human and bird). Scientific studies document these concerns.

Per the U.S. Department of the Interior Strategy, “Wolbachia IIT is a novel tool for conservation purposes and its degree of efficacy in remote forest landscapes is unknown.” This project is an experiment on Hawaii’s people, wildlife, and ‘āina. The outcome is admittedly unknown. Human disease vectors are involved, and the informed consent of the public is required.

Southern house mosquitoes have never been used for Wolbachia stand-alone field release. The 59,204-acre Kaua’i project area and the 64,666-acre Maui project area would be the largest Wolbachia mosquito releases of any kind globally to date. Southern house mosquitoes transmit diseases to humans, birds, and other animals.

There are no documented biosecurity protocols for these mosquitoes, and pathogen screenings are unknown. Assertions of no human health risks are based on unsound science discredited by the EPA.

Who will take responsibility if something goes wrong – the federal government, the State of Hawaii, agency partners, private landowners? The scope, risks, and experimental nature of this plan require a detailed EIS. Safer alternatives haven’t been considered. Conflicts of interest haven’t been addressed.

There’s currently a case in environmental court seeking a ruling to require an EIS for these mosquito releases on Maui. This Kaua’i project cannot be allowed to move forward while the need for further study of the serious risks of these mosquitoes is still being litigated in court.

I do not accept the Anticipated Finding of No Significant Impact (DEA-AFONSI) for the “Environmental Assessment for use of Wolbachia-based Incompatible Insect Technique for the suppression of nonnative southern house mosquito populations on Kaua’i.” I demand an Environmental Impact Statement.