HomeMy WebLinkAboutWaters, Emma
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Emma Waters <elowrey2345@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, July 17, 2026 9:10 AM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Testimony: Resolution 603-26
Aloha e Chair Kagiwada, Vice Chair Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder, and members of the Hawaiʻi
County Council Committee on Governmental Relations and External Affairs,
My name is Emma Waters and I am writing in STRONG SUPPORT of Resolution 603-26,
urging the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB) to take seriously the interim
“emergency” coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) rules for West Hawaiʻi, adopted by the
Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity (BAB) in March.
The CRB situation on Hawaiʻi Island is dire. With CRB detections in a region that now
stretches from Waikōloa to Keauhou, we must do everything we can to stop or slow its
spread - before it is too late. Unfortunately, as outlined in this resolution, the need for
much more timely action by DAB has been and continues to be a critical gap in this all-
hands-on-deck effort.
DAB’s months-long delays in advancing regulations to mitigate high-risk vectors, such as
businesses selling potted plants and other CRB host material, has contributed significantly
to the current crisis. As this resolution notes, it was only through the initiative of local
nonprofits and a groundswell of public support that DAB put the current CRB interim rules
before the BAB.
Now, DAB’s continued foot-dragging in implementing these interim rules, adopted in
March, is leaving the entire island at daily risk of becoming the next CRB-infested region.
To be clear, the stakes are extremely high, and the threat is imminent. While the drier
conditions in West Hawaiʻi still give us a chance to contain this devastating pest, should
breeding populations of CRB be established in places like Hilo, Puna, or anywhere else
with high levels of vegetation, containment and eradication may quickly become
impossible. The meaningful implementation and enforcement of DAB’s interim rules will
give us the best chance at preventing such an outcome.
Please help us avoid the tragic consequences now unfolding on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, where
CRB has become established after years of DAB inaction. Please pass this resolution and
its common sense, extremely reasonable call for DAB to treat our CRB situation as the
emergency it is: by designating a dedicated staff point of contact for the rules, raising
public awareness of their requirements, and enforcing their provisions as necessary.
Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.
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Sincerely, Emma Waters
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