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Board defers petition to allow treated gravel shipments to Kalopapa after Molokai stakeholders raise concerns
Summary
The Board deferred a petition from Kalopapa National Historic Park seeking rulemaking to permit pre‑fumigated gravel shipments to Molokai. Industry witnesses supported the fumigation approach; Molokai beneficiaries and cultural representatives asked for more consultation, environmental review and clear staging and post‑entry safeguards.
The Hawaii Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity deferred action on a petition from Kalopapa National Historic Park that would amend interim quarantine rule 25‑1 to allow gravel to be moved to Molokai if the material is pretreated (fumigated with a product labeled under a Special Local Need) prior to shipment.
What the petition sought: Plant quarantine branch manager Jonathan Hill described a request to allow gravel shipments to Molokai following treatment with a fumigant (brand name Profume under a Section SLN label). Staff said trials, including university and USDA‑validated work, show the fumigant can eradicate coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) life stages in treated material and that the same quarantine approach has been used for green waste and other materials moving between islands.
Industry testimony: Representatives from the fumigant manufacturer and a biosecurity services company testified that the fumigation method is a widely used quarantine treatment, that trials demonstrated near‑complete mortality of CRB life stages in treated material and that industry capacity already exists for pre‑shipment treatments.
Molokai stakeholder concerns: Multiple Molokai beneficiaries and community representatives opposed initiating rulemaking without wider consultation and without a publicly posted treatment plan for review. Speakers said the petition was not broadly available on the department website for stakeholder review in advance, raised the precautionary principle, cited cultural and endangered‑species risks unique to Kalopapa, and said they may seek contested‑case review if the board grants approval without further consultation and environmental review.
Board questions and rationale for deferral: Board members asked whether gravel could be sourced on Molokai instead of imported, where treatment and staging would occur, how shipments and mobilization equipment would be certified bug‑free, and what post‑entry surveillance and contingency plans would be in place should CRB be detected after arrival. Given unresolved procedural and stakeholder‑engagement questions, the board voted to defer the petition to the next meeting to allow staff to gather additional technical details and consult Molokai stakeholders.
Next steps: Staff will work to provide clearer operational protocols (where treatment would be witnessed, staging and containment practices, post‑entry inspection plans and contingency responses) and reach out to Molokai beneficiaries and agencies for consultation before the petition returns to the board.
