The state Department of Agriculture continues to be pushed to do more to fight invasive species.
The department has been questioned about detailed planning and action to manage dangerous pests for months. That continued during the state Board of Agriculture meeting this week, as the department provided an update on its efforts.
Wayne Tanaka, the director of the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, noted that Gov. Josh Green has put a significant biosecurity bill on his intent-to-veto list.
Green’s office said that the biosecurity bill, which would allocate $20 million to the DOA, is on the veto list primarily as a cost-cutting measure. He’s currently planning on splitting the funding to the department by half.
While the governor’s office said the cut is not performance-related, some still worry the agriculture department hasn’t shown it’ll be able to properly spend the money.
“Do you have a plan that we can point to and say, ‘Hey, there actually is a roadmap to spending this money in an effective and strategic way?’ If there isn't, maybe we need to get going on that,” Tanaka said.
Green’s rationale for the veto was that he’s working with the department to make sure it has the appropriate funding to spend in the next year.
Tanaka’s interpretation, which he told the board, of that rationale is that “he doesn't think it's executable by the department.”
Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, who chairs the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, said he has pushed the department for months to produce a plan for managing little fire ants.
He’s also been critical of the department for choosing not to publicly name “bad actor” businesses and nurseries that could be facilitating the spread of the invasive ants.
Department officials said they have an action plan for little fire ants, but it doesn’t punish businesses for not cooperating with the department when it wants to conduct an inspection.
Keohokalole,at the board meeting, said that the plan should be made available to the board so it can decide if it’s enough for the department to do its work.
“I feel like the board should be apprised of whether the action plan that was developed by this department actually allows the DOA to do what it needs to do,” he said.
