Mahi Pono Fined Nearly $10K For Causing Dust In Central Maui
Several residents had complained last year about the cloud of dust that occasionally blanketed Central Maui.
The Hawaii Department of Health has fined Mahi Pono $9,600 for failing to control dust multiple days last year.
After investigating numerous complaints from residents, the health department found that the farming company, which owns 41,000 acres of Alexander & Baldwin鈥檚 former sugarcane fields, violated clean air laws , according to a news release Wednesday.
Investigators found that wind and, in one instance, farming operations 鈥渃aused or permitted visible fugitive dust to become airborne without taking reasonable precautions.鈥
Across the U.S., governments ban and regulate what鈥檚 known as 鈥渇ugitive dust,鈥 which are particles lifted into the air from activities like tilling soil, driving over unpaved roads or heavy construction.
The dust pollutes the air, waterways and oceans and has also been linked to a number of respiratory diseases, including aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, according to the .听
In a statement late Wednesday, Mahi Pono said that dust is one of the 鈥減ersistent challenges inherent in large-scale farming.鈥 The company said it鈥檚 working on improving its dust-control protocols to better comply with state law.
Civil Beat鈥檚 coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
