Takeaways from Tuesday’s Board of Ag meeting & call for action to contact the governor
Mahalo nui to everyone that submitted testimony and attended Tuesday’s Board of Agriculture meeting! A total of 35 written testimonies were submitted, and four people testified in person or over Zoom (an incredibly impressive number given that the Board of Agriculture rarely gets more than a few testimonies). Needless to say, Board members definitely heard the dozens of community voices urging more action by the Department of Agriculture (HDOA), with Member Jimmy Gomes and Member Randy Cabral asking pointed questions about the HDOA’s plans (or lack thereof) and capacity to truly deal with our invasive pest crises.
Here’s a short recap of what we learned at the meeting:
Despite an “Invasive Species Action Plan Update” being just one of two substantive agenda items, and despite the fact that the HDOA is required by law to maintain “detailed control or eradication programs,” the HDOA failed to show that it has any published or draft invasive species action “plan,” much less in a form that can be reviewed by the Board, policymakers, or the public.
The department is conducting bi-monthly surveys for little fire ants on Oʻahu, using up 13% of available staff time, although it is unclear where and how these inspections are being conducted, and to what extent they are partnering (if at all) with frontline organizations also doing this work.
For coconut rhinoceros beetles, the department has issued several $25k grants for eradication on Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kauaʻi and for management on Oʻahu. The department plans to use the $20 million appropriated by the legislature this year to “scale up” any successful CRB strategies and to increase its staff capacity; no further details were provided for the use of this money.
HDOA seemed unaware of the Governor’s intent to veto the $20M invasive species bill, HB2619 (which he had lauded in April as “landmark legislation”), with Chair Hurd stating several times that HDOA was waiting for him to sign it. Later, Board counsel speculated that the Governor would just “line item veto” some of its provisions.
HDOA staff claims there is “no evidence” of little fire ant infestations at businesses - but as Senator Keohokālole testified, this means little if the department does not have the authority to inspect businesses suspected of infestations - and it can’t gain that authority until it has an invasive species action plan.
Department staff declined to provide any concrete timeline for the rule amendments to establish an inter- and intra-island quarantine for pest-infested plants and materials to be approved and implemented.
A niu farmer testified that CRB have now been found in Kahalu‘u, where they had not been previously established, and urged greater action to prevent the widespread distribution of untreated mulch and green waste by businesses.
Finally, a testifier indicated that the HDOA had directed the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab to “stand down” from advising businesses in February - which staff did not refute - leaving businesses with little to no tailored guidance on preventing and eradicating infestations of their properties and products.
With operations characterized by what the Star-Advertiser has called an “observably slow pace and deference to industry,” a biosecurity chief whose past reputation was one of “hindering the state’s program with invasive species,” and a director who refuses to let the community know what “bad actor” businesses may be knowingly selling infested plants and other products, the HDOA clearly needs continued pressure from the public whose future food security, environmental and cultural integrity, economy, and quality of life depend on it doing its job.
Please take a moment now to urge Governor Green to get the HDOA to move forward with its quarantine rules, and to keep HB2619 intact. You can use this form to comment on legislation, sample message below. The deadline for the Governor to veto bills on his Intent to Veto list is July 10.
Bill number: HB2619
Message (to be attached to form due to character limits):
Aloha e Governor Green,
My name is [first name] from [town]. I am writing today to urge you to sign HB2619 into law.
You were right in your comments earlier this year - HB2619 is “landmark legislation” that would provide crucial funding in this critical juncture in our fight against invasive pests. Please do not veto this bill.
As I write, coconut rhinoceros beetles are spreading across Kauaʻi and little fire ants are being found in more and more areas where they have not been found before. The Department of Agriculture must be given the resources and directives to begin stepping up its biosecurity efforts now, not in a year (or longer) when the costs of dealing with our growing invasive pest crises will be exponentially increased.
I appreciate your concerns about the Department not being able to “execute” on some of the appropriations provided under this bill, but bringing in cross-departmental resources and other creative interventions from your office easily help address this problem. Vetoing this bill would not.
The positions and programs funded by this bill could prevent irreversible damage to our islands’ food and water security, climate resilience, cultural integrity, economy, and overall well-being.
While the Department’s invasive species actions (or lack thereof) have room for improvement, an influx of funding may be the only way to expedite the use of its unique and necessary authorities to regulate and control invasive species’ spread. This bill offers the Department, and all of us in this fight, the best chance to succeed at this crucial moment.
To that end, I kindly urge you to sign HB2619 into law.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
P.S. Please ensure that the HDOA also moves forward with the adoption of its proposed amendments to Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 4-72, to impose an intra- and inter-island quarantine for infested plants and other commodities - it has been 5 months since the public hearing on these rules and there has been no movement since.
In the meantime, if you would like to be part of our volunteer action team to get the Department of Agriculture to #doitsjob and step up in the fight against our alien pest invasions, please reach out to us at hawaii.chapter@sierraclub.org