HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

289

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of agriculture to start a PILOT project by working COLLABORATIVELY with the landscape industry council of hawaii, hawaii forest industry association, farm bureau federation of hawaii, and conservation groups to assess the invasive potential versus the benefit of new and existing plants and restrict the use and entry of plants with more risk than benefit.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, one of the major threats to Hawaii's native species and forests is the rampant spread of a large number of invasive alien plant species across the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, alien species have become invasive in Hawaii's environment because natural predators or other biological mechanisms that kept those species manageable in their former habitat is missing in Hawaii's environment; and

 

     WHEREAS, invasive species arrive in Hawaii for a variety of reasons, but by far the most important reason for introduction is horticultural use for ornamental purposes, accounting for approximately seventy per cent of all documented invasive plant species in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, agriculture, landscape, forestry, and conservation interests in the State are fighting to slow the invasion of alien species that are spreading from residential and commercial settings into agricultural areas and native forests; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii, which allows in all plants except those on restricted lists, unlike New Zealand, which has a comprehensive bio-security law that restricts all plants until cleared by a weed risk benefit assessment process, should embrace and adopt a process similar to New Zealand; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Agriculture is requested to work collaboratively with the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii, Hawaii Forest Industry Association, Farm Bureau Federation of Hawaii, and conservation groups to begin a pilot program to assess the benefit versus the invasive potential of new and existing plants and restrict the use and entry of plants with more risk than benefit by placing them on the State restricted plant list; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Agriculture is requested to adopt a system similar to New Zealand's National Plant Pest Accord, a cooperative agreement between industry and government consisting of a consultative group, a technical advisory group, and steering group to work with the Department; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature requests that:

 

     (1)  The consultative group be comprised of eight concerned individuals and stakeholders who may nominate species for the restricted plant list, provided that any person may submit a species for nomination consideration;

 

     (2)  The technical advisory group be comprised of eight appointed government officials, four appointed by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and four appointed by the Department of Agriculture, who provide independent risk versus benefit assessment of the nominated species; and

 

     (3)  The steering group, the decision making body that has accord oversight, be comprised of eight members of which five members are government officials appointed by the Governor and three members, one each from the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii, the Hawaii Forest Industry Association, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, are appointed by the State's agricultural industry; and

 

     (4)  Decisions by the groups be made on a consensus basis; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department is requested to form the different advisory groups and implement the pilot project by January 1, 2010, and further to report to the Legislature on the project on or prior to December 31, 2010; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, who in turn is requested to transmit copies to the Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii, Hawaii Forest Industry of Hawaii, and the Farm Bureau Federation of Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Invasive Species; Pilot Program