HomeMy WebLinkAboutCulbertson, Robert
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Robert Culbertson <dancingcloudrefuge@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, July 20, 2026 7:33 PM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Support for Res. 603-26
Aloha e Chair Kagiwada, Vice Chair Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder, and members of the
Hawaiʻi County Council Committee on Governmental Relations and External Affairs,
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.
1
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.
Sincerely,
R A Culbertson
Honokaa
2