Invasive Pest Rules on Their Final Stretch

By Kirsten Kagimoto, Deputy Director and Wayne Tanaka, Chapter Director | Reading time: 3 minutes

Finally, some good news! After a nearly two-year delay, the Hawaiʻi Board of Agriculture has voted to adopt the rule amendments that will grant the Agriculture Department critically needed  authority to combat the spread of invasive pests, such as little fire ants, coconut rhinoceros beetles, and coqui frogs - including by preventing the sale of infested plants and other products containing these and other invasive species. Just a few more steps - including review and comment by the Small Business Regulatory Review Board, and approval by the Governor - are left before these rules can finally become law.

These rule amendments have been a long time coming, after over 18 months of inexplicable delays, foot dragging, and changing excuses by department leadership. This critically needed step forward was accordingly made possible only by the advocacy and persistence of community members like you, who made clear that we will not let up until the Department of Agriculture upholds its role in our all-hands-on-deck fight against invasives. 

Over 64 testimonies were submitted in support of the Board’s final adoption of the rules, and in the past three months, 314 messages were sent to Governor Green calling on his administration and its Agriculture Department to adopt these amendments without any further delay. 

At last month’s meeting, the nursery and agriculture industries acknowledged the need for stronger invasive species protections, but requested more guidance on how these amendments will affect them - a curious ask, given that the Department of Agriculture has had over a year and a half to give them such guidance. 

With all the delays we’ve seen and department leadership’s ongoing reluctance to actually regulate the plant nursery industry, continued community pressure will be needed to get these rule amendments finally adopted into law, and to ensure they are actually implemented.

Next, the Department of Agriculture must forward the amendments to the Small Business Regulatory Review Board for review. After that, they’ll go to the Governor’s desk for final approval. We can’t let these final steps be used to further delay and drag out this rulemaking process. 

The review board’s next meeting is scheduled for November 21, so we must urge Agriculture Department Chair Sharon Hurd to promptly send the rule amendments to the board now, to ensure they make it on the November agenda. Please take a moment now to email Chair Hurd by using this form and just a couple clicks or by emailing sharon.k.hurd@hawaii.gov.

These rule changes are just one step in ensuring Hawaiʻi’s food and water security, climate resilience, cultural integrity, and economic health. In the upcoming 2025 Legislative Session, we’ll continue advocating for increased biosecurity measures and necessary funding for the Agriculture Department, as may be necessary to implement these rules and fulfill the Department’s responsibility to defend our islands from invasive pests and their impacts. In the meantime, please stay tuned for more opportunities to defend our islands from a pest-infested future, ask your friends and networks to also sign up for our action alerts, and consider donating to support our ongoing advocacy and invasive species response efforts.  

And, don’t forget to follow along with our Niu November campaign and submit your best niu photos to our “It’s Niu or Never” photo contest! More details here.