HomeMy WebLinkAboutWaddington, Cynthia
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Cindy Waddington <808jcw@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, July 20, 2026 7:15 PM
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 Cynthia Waddington 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 Kīholo 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 the current CRB interim rules were put
before and adopted by the BAB.
Despite their adoption in March, a subsequent months-long delay in the implementation of
these rules is leaving the entire island - and our neighbor islands as well - at daily risk of
CRB introductions. While a handful of compliance agreements have been issued, there is
still no designated DAB point-of-contact to facilitate continued implementation, much more
community awareness is still needed, and whether and how any necessary enforcement
will be carried out is unclear.
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
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public awareness of their requirements, and enforcing their provisions as necessary.
Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify.
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