HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-04-01 Letter to Donovan M. Dela Cruz and Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran HB 1548, HD1, SD1 Relating to Rapid Ohia Death
County of Hawai‘i
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County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
Wil Okabe
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
April 1, 2019
Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Chair
Senator Gilbert S. C. Keith-Agaran, Vice Chair
Committee on Ways and Means
Dear Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Keith-Agaran, and Committee Members:
RE: HB 1548, HD1, SD1 Relating to Rapid Ohia Death
Even though the fungus has spread beyond the Big Island, the initial shock of the discovery of Rapid
Ohia Death (ROD) has passed, and therefore the media has largely moved on. But the devastation of ROD
and the loss of Ohia in Hawaiʻi should not be ignored. Therefore, I am grateful to all of you for keeping this
issue alive at the Legislature and furthering the battle to defeat this terrible scourge.
I will defer to the scientists as to how much funding can be productively used, and simply urge that
there be sufficient money allotted to find a ROD cure, or at least treatment.
Please approve funding to combat ROD with a favorable vote on HB 1548, HD1, SD1.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR