Case Bill Says Hawaii Needs Incoming Federal Ag Inspetions that are Same or Better as Current Outgoing Ag Inspections

NEWS RELEASE July 27, 2005

Case bill says Hawaii needs incoming federal ag inspections that are same or better as current outgoing ag inspections

It's one of three measures he introduced today to help protect Hawaii from invasive species

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Ed Case (Hawaii) today introduced a bill to require the same or greater level of federal inspection of all visitor and cargo shipments arriving in Hawaii from domestic and foreign locations as now exists for outgoing traffic. He said the measure was the only way to overcome "a true crisis" caused by rapidly accelerating introduction of invasive species and diseases that are devastating Hawaii's flora and fauna and costing the state millions of dollars in agricultural losses, export costs, and other expenses.

"My bill, the Hawaii Invasive Species Prevention Act, may be condensed into this simple statement: what is good for the U.S. mainland should be good for Hawaii," said Case, a member of the House Agriculture Committee. "Current federal inspections protect the U.S. mainland from insect pests in Hawaii. But Hawaii, which has the greatest number of endemic endangered species of any state in the nation, doesn't enjoy similar protection."

Without this federal protection, other threats such as West Nile Virus, sand flies, Africanized honeybees and the brown tree snake could find their way into Hawaii and cause more serious harm, if not devastating damage, to the state's native ecosystems and economy, said Case.

"Just ten years ago, in 1994, the federal Office of Technology Assessment declared Hawaii's alien pest species problem as the worst in the nation. Since then, however, the problem of alien pests-from the Formosan termite to the Oriental fruit fly to marine species brought in with bilge water-has worsened considerably, not only costing Hawaii government and business millions of dollar each year in both prevention and remediation, but assuring that many of the world's most unique and endangered life forms will not survive. At this point, the introduction and establishment of even one new pest, such as the brown tree snake which as eliminated the native bird life of Guam, would change the character of Hawaii forever."

The bill, he said, is needed particularly because the state, as the transportation crossroads of the Pacific, has been hamstrung by existing federal laws that preempt state efforts to control the movement of goods and requirements that states consider regulatory burdens imposed on commerce.

In response to those obstacles, Case's bill:

* states that it is U.S. policy to fund and support efforts to control and prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species into Hawaii and no federal agency may take action to counter that policy;
* directs the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior to implement a comprehensive system in Hawaii of post-arrival protocols for all persons, baggage, cargo, containers, packing materials, and other items traveling or being shipped to Hawaii from domestic or foreign locations.

Case said a similarly comprehensive system is already in place in New Zealand, which is comparable to Hawaii because of its remoteness and high and exposed endemic species. New Zealand "white lists" permissible import species but bans everything else, and conducts inspections of arrivals. But ironically, Hawaii, which has a much more acute overall problem than either the U.S. mainland or New Zealand, has found it very difficult to fashion and implement a similar prevention regime under current law.

The current poster child for invasive species is the coqui frog, Case said, which established itself in Hawaii, arriving in nursery shipments from Puerto Rico, and now threatens native ecosystems in Hawaii and is even depressing land values in some areas where the pest's loud mating calls-similar to the sound of a lawnmower-have become extreme nuisances to homeowners and visitors.

"Our tropical climate and lack of a cold season mean that a disease such as West Nile Virus would be especially severe, with devastating effects not only on our endangered birds but on our visitor industry, which is essential to our economy," he said.

"Hawaii is most regrettably the undisputed endangered species capital of the United States if not the world. Our 255 listed plant species represent approximately one-fourth of the total number of endangered species in the United States. They also comprise more than one-fifth of the entire Hawaiian flora. More than 5,000 species of non-native plants and animals have become established in the Hawaiian islands in the past 200 years, which represents a rate of successful colonization of new species every 18 days. And new species are still being discovered such as a web-spinning caterpillar recently discovered in Hawaii that preys on snails."

Protecting the world's coral reefs
Case today also reintroduced "The Coral Reef Conservation and Protection Act," which he originally submitted in Congress last year, to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems from private and commercial activities threatening coral and reef fish species in U.S. waters and around the world. The bill prohibits collection or interstate commerce of certain coral reef species in waters under U.S. jurisdiction as well as the import of such species except under strict conditions.

"This bill establishes a much-need comprehensive strategy for domestic and international protection of our world's coral reefs," said Case. "We in Hawaii are fortunate to have living, albeit threatened, coral reefs. But coral reefs, especially in the temperate zone of the Pacific, are being destroyed by over-fishing, dynamiting, and cyanide poisoning of marine life."

The bill outlines a plan to develop a coordinated national strategy for conservation and management of coral reef ecosystems with international participation. The bill also proposes enforcement provisions, including penalties, fines or forfeitures of property which would fund a reward system that supports arrests or convictions resulting from violations of prohibited activities under the bill. In addition, the bill would establish a national Coral Reef Task Force to coordinate conservation and management of coral reef ecosystems and convene, for one year, a public-private advisory group which would develop a national strategy for conservation and management of coral reef species and ecosystems.

Expanding access to USDA conservation programs
A third conservation bill Case introduced today would exempt Hawaii from federal law that currently limits participation by Hawaii producers and landowners in Farm Bill conservation programs which are intended to preserve and conserve the nation's dwindling supply of agricultural lands.

The Farm Bill (a term generally referring to federal assistance to agriculture) includes a provision that offers financial and/or technical support to qualified producers and landowners who meet an adjusted gross income (AGI) requirement. "The AGI requirement was put in place in 2002 after some groups called attention to the fact that some very wealthy individuals were receiving payments under Farm Bill conservation programs," said Case. "As a result, a limitation was put in place making individuals and corporations with annual incomes of $2.5 million or more ineligible for participation in Farm Bill conservation programs unless 75 percent of that income comes from farming, ranching or forestry.

"The AGI limitation has severely limited Hawaii's participation in USDA conservation programs because a major portion of our agricultural lands are owned by families or corporations with large and valuable diversified holdings. In many cases, they have remained in ranching or farming, despite low profit margins, due to long traditions in ranching, farming, or other activities. We have ranches, for example, with incomes that are supplemented by a shopping center and restaurant."

Granting Hawaii an exemption would enhance efforts to control invasive species on agricultural lands, added Case. "The USDA conservation programs have become increasingly important in Hawaii, where funding has risen from around $4.9 million in 2003 to $14.2 million in 2005. Unfortunately, especially in the case of the Conservation Reserve Program, Hawaii's ability to access these programs has been severely limited by the adjusted gross income limitation."

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http://wwwc.house.gov/case/press_releases/2005/2005-47.html