The moratorium bills on genetically engineered taro and coffee undermine development of Hawai’i’s science and technology industries and put at risk their high-paying technical jobs. The bills are needless for a number of reasons. The University of Hawai’i agreed more than a year ago that genetic engineering research on Hawaiian taro would not proceed until discussions with the Hawaiian community are completed. UH has a similar agreement with the Kona coffee growers, in which field testing of genetic engineering research will not be conducted until discussions with them are completed. Therefore, it puzzles us why legislation is needed at all — unless it is an attempt to hijack legitimate cultural concerns and the concerns of some coffee growers in the service of a broader philosophic and anti-scientific agenda.