Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Biosecurity Crb topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board directs staff to begin rulemaking to slow coconut rhinoceros beetle spread on Hawaii Island
Summary
After hours of technical review and extensive public testimony, the Board of Agriculture voted unanimously to initiate administrative rulemaking on an interim rule to restrict movement of CRB host materials on Hawai‘i Island and directed staff to return with a refined proposal by March 24, 2026.
The Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity on Jan. 27 directed department staff to begin administrative rulemaking to implement an interim rule aimed at slowing the spread of the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) on Hawai‘i Island, after a lengthy presentation from Plant Quarantine Branch manager Jonathan Ho and broad public testimony from farmers, conservation groups and island residents.
Jonathan Ho told the board the petition — filed by Hawaii Wildlife Fund and Pohaku Pele Maka — requested an interim rule under state statute to require permits or compliance agreements to restrict the transport, receipt and processing of CRB host material such as live palms, decomposing plant materials, compost, wood chips and potting media from a designated infested area. Ho said the petition provides a useful starting point but contains definitional and implementation gaps, potential conflicts with Department of Health and solid-waste permitting, and enforcement challenges given limited PQB inspection capacity on the island. He summarized: “The branch is gonna recommend the disapproval of the immediate rulemaking. However...we're recommending that the board...direct the branch to move forward through the process and refine this to make sure it works.”
Members of the public, scientists and industry representatives gave more than an hour of testimony. Supporters, including conservation and invasive-species crews, urged immediate action. Frannie Brewer of the Big Island Invasive Species Committee described recent detections and human-mediated spread and said voluntary measures have not been sufficient. “We need something to be done now,” Brewer said. Petitioners’ representatives emphasized the interim rule would set practicable best-management practices and training rather than close businesses. Several local growers and industry voices warned that overly broad language could unintentionally restrict legitimate commerce (nurseries, sod farms, mulch haulers) and urged exemptions or a workable compliance pathway.
Board members and staff discussed those trade-offs and the department’s capacity for inspections and enforcement. Several members urged a rapid, multi-agency approach that uses county, nonprofit and industry capacity for outreach and training; staff noted recruitment and a planned biosecurity academy are underway to increase capacity. Board members asked staff for a timeline; staff said March board meeting (March 24) was a realistic target to return with a refined interim rule draft and advisory-committee review. The motion the board adopted directed staff to initiate administrative rulemaking for an interim rule and return to the board by the March 24, 2026 meeting.
The board’s action starts a formal rulemaking path that will include advisory-committee review, public notice and opportunity for comment. Staff emphasized the process will aim to protect unaffected businesses by clarifying definitions, including exemptions and implementation details, while creating enforceable standards to reduce human-assisted spread of CRB.
Next steps: PQ Branch will work with stakeholders and the Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals to refine definitions, treatment and movement standards, cross-check overlaps with DOH and county solid-waste rules, and return with a draft interim rule and implementation plan by March 24, 2026.
