SUPPORT HB969 HD1 + SB446: No Toxic Waste Over Our Water

February 11 update

HB969 HD1 was passed unamended from the House Water & Land Committee. Mahalo nui to everyone that testified—there were over 66 testimonies in support—and thank you to Chair Hashem and Vice-Chair Lamosao for their leadership on this issue.

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February 10 update

HB969 HD1, which prohibits the construction, modification, or expansion of any waste or disposal facility on land that is near or above a significant aquifer as determined by the Department of Health, is scheduled for its next hearing in the House Water & Land Committee, TOMORROW, Tuesday, February 11, 10am in room 411 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of HB969 to protect our wai now and for generations! Sample testimony and instructions below.

HB969 Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair Hashem, Vice Chair Lamosao, and members of the Committee on Water and Land, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB969 HD1, which would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste and disposal facilities on land above significant aquifers.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our aquifers are irreplaceable sources of freshwater that sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS HB969 HD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

SB446, which similarly aims to protect wai on all islands by prohibiting landfills in no pass zones—areas determined by each county where the installation of a waste disposal facility may contaminate groundwater—has its first hearing in the House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday, February 12 at 1pm in room 225 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of SB446 to protect our wai! Sample testimony and instructions below.

SB446 Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair San Buenaventura, Vice Chair Aquino, and members of the Committee on Health and Human Services, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB446, to prohibit landfills in county “no pass zones” where they may threaten the water security of our islands and our future generations.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our drinking water aquifers are irreplaceable sources of pure, precious wai that have sustained and must continue to sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS SB446.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB969/SB446" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

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February 9 update

SB438 was passed out of the Senate Water and Land Committee with amendments. Mahalo nui to everyone that testified—there were over 38 testimonies in support—and thank you to Chair Inouye and Vice-Chair Elefante for their leadership on this issue.

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February 6 update

SB438, like HB969 below, would protect our precious and limited drinking water resources from the threat of landfills, which can and will leak extremely toxic leachate that would inevitably contaminate any underlying drinking water aquifer, and jeopardize the water security of our future generations. Please support this bill at its hearing before the Senate Water and Land Committee on Monday, February 10, at 1:05pm in Conference Room 229 (also viewable online here).

Sample testimony for SB438 (see below for testimony submission instructions):

Aloha Chair Inouye, Vice Chair Elefante, and members of the Water and Land Committee,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB438, which would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste and disposal facilities on land above significant aquifers.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our aquifers are irreplaceable sources of freshwater that sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS SB438.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB438" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

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January 31 update

HB969 was passed out of the House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection! Mahalo nui to everyone that testified—there were over 89 testimonies in support—and thank you to Chair Lowen and Vice-Chair Perruso for their leadership on this issue.

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HB969 Bill Background

Last month, the Honolulu mayor proposed placing Oʻahu’s next landfill on prime agricultural land in Wahiawā—just 800 feet above a drinking water aquifer. Given that landfill liners are far from infallible and that all landfills eventually leak, contamination of this drinking water source with toxic landfill “leachate” is not a question of if, but when, if this proposal moves forward.

While we absolutely cannot continue to overburden West Oʻahu with our island’s waste, we also cannot afford to risk contaminating another aquifer—one that will be critical to our future water security.

A bill to protect drinking water aquifers from the potential contamination from landfills or other waste facilities has a hearing this Thursday, January 30 at 9am in the House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection (room 325). Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of this bill to safeguard our drinking water future today and for generations. You can also watch the hearing live here.

What the bills do 

HB969 prohibits the construction, modification, or expansion of any waste or disposal facility on land that is near or above a significant aquifer as determined by the Department of Health.

Why is this bill is good 

In addition to the existing half-mile buffer zone for schools, neighborhoods, and hospitals, this bill will add protections to prevent landfills and other waste or disposal facilities from being constructed, modified, or expanded above an aquifer deemed as significant by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. 

While guidelines exist—such as the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s “no pass zone,” which advises against siting landfills in areas where porous volcanic rock could allow contaminants to seep into Oʻahu’s drinking water—there are currently no laws requiring decision-makers to follow these recommendations or legally preventing landfills from being placed in these high-risk areas.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chair Lowen, Vice-Chair Perruso, and members of the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB969 which would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste and disposal facilities on land above significant aquifers.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our aquifers are irreplaceable sources of freshwater that sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS HB969.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB969" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

OPPOSE SB1074 + SB22: Uphold Environmental Review Laws

February 10 update

SB1074, similar to HB661, would allow a vast range of illegally authorized activities to continue, potentially indefinitely, without a consideration of their environmental, cultural, and social impacts to our islands and our present and future generations. This measure is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment on Wednesday, February 12 at 1:05pm in room 229 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in OPPOSITION to SB1074, in order to uphold Hawaiʻi’s critical environmental review process. Sample testimony and instructions below. 

Sample testimony for SB1074

Aloha Chairs Inouye and Gabbard, Vice Chairs Elefante and Richards, and members of the Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment Committees, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly oppose SB1074, which would allow a vast range of illegally authorized activities to continue, potentially indefinitely, without a required consideration of their environmental, cultural, and social impacts to our islands and our present and future generations.

Our environmental review law allows decisionmakers and the public to make more fully-informed decisions that can balance and mitigate potential long-term impacts to the public interest from certain proposed activities, before those activities and their impacts are allowed to proceed. This ensures prudent planning while reducing conflict, minimizing adverse outcomes, and safeguarding the health and well-being of present and future generations. 

Unfortunately, the failure of certain departments to comply with this law before authorizing certain actions - such as permitting the take of an unlimited number of of ecologically critical marine specimens for the aquarium trade, or the decades-long dewatering of streams in East Maui - has resulted in severe and in some cases irreparable ecological, cultural, social, and economic harms that could and should have been avoided through the prudent planning embodied in our environmental review law.

By allowing illegally authorized activities to continue while environmental review challenges are resolved - something that has taken literal decades in the dewatering of East Maui’s streams - this bill would turn our environmental review process into an afterthought, legitimizing unlawful and irresponsible agency practices that have inflicted and that will continue to inflict tremendous generational harms and injustices upon our islands and communities.

I urge you to HOLD SB1074.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

SB22, similar to HB123, would allow the Department of Land and Natural Resources to evade any assessment of the environmental impacts of its fishery management decisions - including decisions that may open up our ocean resources to unmitigated commercial exploitation. This measure is also scheduled to be heard in the Senate Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment on Wednesday, February 12 at 1:05pm in room 229 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in OPPOSITION to SB22 to protect Hawaiʻi’s fisheries and by extension, the ocean environment that is a foundation of our way of life. Sample testimony and instructions below. 

Sample testimony for SB22

Aloha Chairs Inouye and Gabbard, Vice Chairs Elefante and Richards, and members of the Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment Committees, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly oppose SB22, which would allow the Department of Land and Natural Resources to evade any assessment of the environmental impacts of its fishery management decisions - including decisions that may open up our ocean resources to unmitigated commercial exploitation.

Our environmental review law allows decisionmakers and the public to make more fully-informed decisions that can balance and mitigate potential long-term impacts to the public interest from certain proposed activities, before those activities and their impacts are allowed to proceed. This ensures prudent planning while reducing conflict, minimizing adverse outcomes, and safeguarding the health and well-being of present and future generations. 

Unfortunately, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has a long and notorious history of turning a blind eye to its critical statutory and public trust responsibilities, such as by authorizing a fishery program that permits the take of an unlimited amount of marine life for aquarium purposes, without any environmental review. This measure would not only legitimize this longstanding practice that has been affirmed as illegal by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, but excuse the department from its environmental review responsibilities for similar fisheries-related actions with potentially deleterious ecological, cultural, recreational, climate resilience, and economic impacts.  

This bill would turn our environmental review process into an afterthought, legitimizing illegal agency practices that have inflicted and that will continue to inflict potentially irreparable harms to our marine life and the vast public interest in our ocean environment.

I urge you to HOLD SB22.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB1074/SB22" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

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HB661, HB123, and HB658 Bill Background

Our environmental review laws help to safeguard our native ecosystems, cultural sites, public health, economy, and quality of life from unintended and avoidable impacts, by ensuring that government decisionmakers consider impacts to these and other vital public interests in actions involving state or county lands or funds (among other specified circumstances), as well as ways these impacts might be mitigated. These reviews enable informed decisions that balance and mitigate long-term impacts on our environment, culture, and society - saving the state from immeasurable social, ecological, economic, and other impacts. 

Three measures, HB661, HB123, and HB658, would seek to end-run recent Hawai‘i court rulings on the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ failure to abide by our environmental review laws, and in the process, open the door to the continued rubber-stamping of commercial and other activities, without considering their environmental impacts. These bills all have hearings on Tuesday, February 11, with HB661 and HB123 scheduled for 9:15am before the Energy & Environmental Protection and Water and Land Committees in room 325 (viewable online here) and HB658 scheduled for 10:15am before the Energy & Environmental Protection Committee in room 325 (viewable online here). Please take a moment to OPPOSE these measures - sample testimony below.

Sample testimony for HB661 (see below for testimony submission instructions):

Aloha Chair Lowen, Chair Chair Hashem, Vice Chair Perruso, Vice Chair Lamosao, and Members of the Committees,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly oppose HB661, which would allow a vast range of illegally authorized activities to continue, potentially indefinitely, without a required consideration of their environmental, cultural, and social impacts to our islands and our present and future generations.

Our environmental review law allows decisionmakers and the public to make more fully-informed decisions that can balance and mitigate potential long-term impacts to the public interest from certain proposed activities, before those activities and their impacts are allowed to proceed. This ensures prudent planning while reducing conflict, minimizing adverse outcomes, and safeguarding the health and well-being of present and future generations. 

Unfortunately, the failure of certain departments to comply with this law before authorizing certain actions - such as in the take of an unlimited number of of ecologically critical marine specimens for the aquarium trade, or the decades-long dewatering of streams in East Maui - has resulted in severe and in some cases irreparable ecological, cultural, social, and economic harms that could and should have been avoided through the prudent planning embodied in our environmental review law.

By allowing illegally authorized activities to continue while environmental review challenges are resolved - something that has taken literal decades in the dewatering of East Maui’s streams - this bill would turn our environmental review process into an afterthought, legitimizing unlawful and irresponsible agency practices that have inflicted and that will continue to inflict tremendous generational harms and injustices upon our islands and communities.

I urge you to HOLD HB661.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Sample testimony for HB123 (see below for testimony submission instructions):

Aloha Chair Lowen, Chair Hashem, Vice Chair Perruso, Vice Chair Lamosao, and Members of the Committees,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly oppose HB123, which would allow the Department of Land and Natural Resources to evade any assessment of the environmental impacts of its fishery management decisions - including decisions that may open up our ocean resources to unmitigated commercial exploitation.

Our environmental review law allows decisionmakers and the public to make more fully-informed decisions that can balance and mitigate potential long-term impacts to the public interest from certain proposed activities, before those activities and their impacts are allowed to proceed. This ensures prudent planning while reducing conflict, minimizing adverse outcomes, and safeguarding the health and well-being of present and future generations. 

Unfortunately, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has a long and notorious history of turning a blind eye to its critical statutory and public trust responsibilities, such as by authorizing a fishery program that permits the take of an unlimited amount of marine life for aquarium purposes, without any environmental review. This measure would not only legitimize this longstanding practice that has been affirmed as illegal by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, but excuse the department from its environmental review responsibilities for similar fisheries-related actions with potentially deleterious ecological, cultural, recreational, climate resilience, and economic impacts.  

This bill would turn our environmental review process into an afterthought, legitimizing illegal agency practices that have inflicted and that will continue to inflict potentially irreparable harms to our marine life and the vast public interest in our ocean environment.

I urge you to HOLD HB123.

Sincerely,
[Your name] 

Sample testimony for HB658 (see below for testimony submission instructions):

Aloha Chair Lowen, Vice Chair Perruso, and Members of the Energy & Environmental Protection Committee,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly oppose HB658, which would allow the Department of Land and Natural Resources to evade any assessment of the environmental impacts of its ocean use and management decisions.

Our environmental review law allows decisionmakers and the public to make more fully-informed decisions that can balance and mitigate potential long-term impacts to the public interest from certain proposed activities, before those activities and their impacts are allowed to proceed. This ensures prudent planning while reducing conflict, minimizing adverse outcomes, and safeguarding the health and well-being of present and future generations. 

Unfortunately, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has a long and notorious history of turning a blind eye to its critical statutory and public trust responsibilities, such as by operating a commercial boating permitting regime without any environmental review and without due regard for the environmental, cultural, recreational, and broader economic concerns of the public. This measure would not only legitimize this longstanding practice that has been affirmed as illegal by our court system, but also excuse the department from its environmental review responsibilities for similar ocean use authorizations with potentially deleterious ecological, cultural, recreational, climate resilience, and economic impacts.  

This bill would turn our environmental review process into an afterthought, legitimizing illegal agency practices that have inflicted and that will continue to inflict potentially irreparable harms to the vast and varied public interests in our ocean environment.

I urge you to HOLD HB658.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB661/HB123/HB658" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

SUPPORT HB299 HD1 + SB548: HISC Invasive Species Funding

February 10 update

HB299 HD1, which seeks to provide an unspecified boost in funding for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council, has its next hearing in the House Committee on Agriculture and Food Systems on Wednesday, February 12 at 9:30am in room 325 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of HB299 HD1, reinforcing the importance of HISC’s essential work in protecting Hawaiʻi from invasive pests! Sample testimony and instructions below. 

Sample testimony for HB299 HD1

Aloha Chair Kahaloa, Vice Chair Kusch, and members of the House Agriculture & Food Systems Committee, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB299 HD1, which appropriates funds for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its partners, including the island Invasive Species Committees.

HISC and its partners are an indispensable part of our biosecurity framework, utilizing specialized expertise, research, field knowledge, interagency collaboration, and well-established community partnerships to help hold the line against invasive pests and their potentially devastating impacts. With dozens of successful eradications from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island of pests and noxious weeds - ranging from fireweed to pampas grass to little fire ants - HISC and its partners have proven their effectiveness in fighting invasive species with extremely limited resources. 

Their work has undoubtedly prevented millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of harm and the potentially irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. Meanwhile, they continue to serve as an integral foundation of community-driven efforts to detect, eradicate, and manage myriad invasive species across our islands.

Much greater funding for HISC would allow it and its partners to double down on their vital work, as one of the few effective but under-resourced strategies we have in our existing biosecurity toolbox. 

I urge you to PASS HB299 HD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

SB548, the companion to HB299, also has a hearing in the Senate Committees on Water & Land and Agriculture & Environment on Wednesday, February 12 at 1:05pm in room 229 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of SB548 to support funding for HISC and its island committees. Sample testimony and instructions below. 

Sample testimony for SB548

Aloha Chairs Inouye and Gabbard, Vice Chairs Elefante and Richards, and members of the Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment Committees, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB548, which appropriates funds for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its partners, including the island Invasive Species Committees.

HISC and its partners are an indispensable part of our biosecurity framework, utilizing specialized expertise, research, field knowledge, interagency collaboration, and well-established community partnerships to help hold the line against invasive pests and their potentially devastating impacts. With dozens of successful eradications from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island of pests and noxious weeds - ranging from fireweed to pampas grass to little fire ants - HISC and its partners have proven their effectiveness in fighting invasive species with extremely limited resources. 

Their work has undoubtedly prevented millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of harm and the potentially irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. Meanwhile, they continue to serve as an integral foundation of community-driven efforts to detect, eradicate, and manage myriad invasive species across our islands.

Much greater funding for HISC would allow it and its partners to double down on their vital work, as one of the few effective but under-resourced strategies we have in our existing biosecurity toolbox. 

I urge you to PASS SB548.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB299/SB548" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

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February 3 update

HB299 passed out of the House Committee on Water & Land without the amendments requested by the Sierra Club and our allies to increase funding for HISC. While we're glad to see the bill move forward, we will continue advocating for these amendments as it progresses. Mahalo nui to the more than 49 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and a special thanks to Chair Kahaloa for advancing this measure.

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HB299 Bill Background

The Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its county-based invasive species committees play a critical and indispensable role in our fight against invasive species. Administratively attached to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, HISC develops plans, funds projects, coordinates cross-agency efforts, and provides critical support for the Big Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committees. These latter county-level committees in turn lead on-the-ground efforts to eradicate and manage pests in our forests, open spaces, and neighborhoods, including through the education, training, and enlistment of community groups and local businesses in our all-hands-on-deck biosecurity efforts. 

Despite extremely limited resources, HISC and its invasive species committees have successfully eradicated dozens of outbreaks of invasive pests throughout the islands - preventing millions of dollars’ worth of damages and the irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. They also continue to work tirelessly to help manage established pests and mitigate the impacts they have on our communities and landscapes.  

The Department of Agriculture, in contrast, continues to demonstrate an inability or unwillingness to fulfill its critical and exclusive regulatory responsibilities, even after receiving “historic” funding last year that remains largely unspent. 

While we continue to push for the Department of Agriculture to embrace its biosecurity role, it is clear that increased funding for HISC and its committees may be the best investment we can make to safeguard our islands and future generations from a pest-infested landscape.

A bill to fund HISC, HB299, is up for a hearing on Thursday, January 30, at 9am in the House Committee on Water & Land (Room 411). Notably, the proposed $4.25M is $1.5M less than what HISC received last year. Please take a moment to submit testimony to SUPPORT WITH AMENDMENTS HB299, urging lawmakers to increase, and not decrease, funding for HISC and its essential work in protecting Hawaiʻi from invasive pests. You can also watch the hearing live here. 

What the bills does

HB299 would appropriate $4.25M each year for the next two years for HISC - $1.5M less than what the legislature provided it last year.

Why is this good but needs amendments 

HB299 recognizes that HISC serves as a critical foundation of our invasive species response, eradication, and management framework, and that there is a substantial need to provide it and its island invasive species committees with more funding to bolster our biosecurity framework. However, it appropriates less funds than was provided to HISC last year.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chair Kahaloa, Vice-Chair Kusch, and members of the House Agriculture & Food Systems Committee, 

My name is [Your name] and I SUPPORT WITH AMENDMENTS HB299. 

I strongly agree with the opening section of this bill, regarding the need to increase funding for the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and the island Invasive Species Committees that have been the core foundation of our all-hands-on-deck fight to protect our islands and future generations from invasive species. However, this bill appears to provide HISC with far less funds than it received last year - $3M over the next fiscal biennium - in a moment when we clearly need to invest more than ever before in shoring up our biosecurity defenses. Please amend this measure to increase, rather than decrease, the funding that will be provided to HISC.

With dozens of successful eradications from Kauaʻi to Hawaiʻi Island of pests and noxious weeds ranging from fireweed to pampas grass to little fire ants, HISC and its Committees have proven their great effectiveness in fighting invasive species with extremely limited resources. Their work has undoubtedly prevented millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of damages and the potentially irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. Meanwhile, they continue to serve as an integral foundation of community-driven efforts to detect, eradicate, and manage myriad invasive species across our islands.

With the Department of Agriculture struggling to expend the historic funding it received last year for biosecurity programs, and with no clear Department of Agriculture plan to fulfill its own unique roles in preventing the introduction and spread of invasive pests, it is absolutely critical that we double down in our investments in HISC and its Committees. 

I urge you to PASS HB299 with AMENDMENTS to increase, and not decrease, HISC funding for the next fiscal biennium, sufficient to fully meet its core needs and anticipated programmatic requests.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB299" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

COMMENT ON SB1100: Save the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council

February 6 update

SB1100 was passed out of the Senate Agriculture & Environment, Transportation & Culture & the Arts, and Commerce & Consumer Protection Committees with amendments. These amendments include all of the Agriculture Departments’s suggested amendments for clarity on certain definitions, replacing DLNR with DAB under the new department, and other provisions, except the renaming of private inspector. None of the concerns raised in the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi or allies testimony were addressed.

Over 100 pages of testimony were submitted on this measure and we are incredibly grateful for all that took the time to testify. We will have additional chances to ensure that HISC and its ISCs remain independent of the Department of Agriculture and can continue doing the good work that they do day in and day out. We also want to thank Vice-Chair Fukunaga for her reservations, for the same reasons expressed by our organization.

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SB1100 Bill Background

The Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and the future of Hawaiʻi’s biosecurity need your help! Please testify on SB1100 and ask that the Committees remove provisions placing HISC and other critical biosecurity entities under the Department of Agriculture, to answer to a new deputy of biosecurity.  

HISC and its county-based invasive species committees play a critical and indispensable role in our fight against invasive species. Administratively attached to the Department of Land and Natural Resources, HISC develops plans, funds projects, coordinates cross-agency efforts, and provides critical support for the Big Island, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committees. These latter county-level committees in turn lead on-the-ground efforts to eradicate and manage pests in our forests, open spaces, and neighborhoods, including through the education, training, and enlistment of community groups and local businesses in our all-hands-on-deck biosecurity efforts. 

Despite extremely limited resources, HISC and its invasive species committees have successfully eradicated dozens of outbreaks of invasive pests throughout the islands - preventing millions of dollars’ worth of damages and the irreversible degradation of our islands’ environmental and cultural integrity, and our quality of life. They also continue to work tirelessly to help manage established pests and mitigate the impacts they have on our communities and landscapes.  

The Department of Agriculture, in contrast, continues to demonstrate an inability or unwillingness to fulfill its critical and exclusive regulatory responsibilities, even after receiving “historic” funding last year that remains largely unspent. 

SB1100 has the commendable goal of ensuring the Department of Agriculture finally embraces its unique roles in our biosecurity framework. However, its specific provisions to have an untested Department of Agriculture deputy of biosecurity direct HISC and other entities focused on invasive species eradication and control may severely disrupt or dismantle some of the very few effective invasive species programs we have. This in turn could set us back years if not decades in our fight against invasive pests, leaving our islands ever more vulnerable to their devastating impacts.

A hearing on SB1100 has been scheduled for a hearing on Thursday, February 6, at 9:30 am, before the Senate Agriculture and Environment, Transportation and Culture and the Arts, and Commerce and Consumer Protection Committees (Room 229). Please take a moment to submit comments OPPOSING the transfer of HISC to the Department of Agriculture. You can also watch the hearing live here. 

What the bill does

SB1100 is an omnibus bill that would re-brand the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB), establish a deputy of biosecurity within the department, and place HISC and other programs and entities under DAB. Other provisions would authorize an emergency response program, provide for “transitional facilities” that the DAB director can require imported goods to be stored and inspected at, provide a process for any entity to request a DAB contract for the implementation of a pest management plan, among others.

Why this is good but needs amendments 

SB1100 emphasizes the Department of Agriculture’s long-neglected biosecurity role, establishing a deputy director of biosecurity to focus on fulfilling this role, and providing the renamed DAB with additional biosecurity tools and funds. However, its proposal to place the HISC and other non-DAB programs under the direction of the DAB and its deputy of biosecurity threatens to throw what few effective biosecurity strategies we have in disarray, rendering our islands critically vulnerable to the potentially devastating impacts of invasive pests.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chairs Gabbard, Lee, Keohokālole, Vice Chairs Richards, Inouye, Fukunaga, and members of the Committees,

My name is [Your name] and I am writing today to offer the following COMMENTS on SB1100. I appreciate and support the provisions to emphasize the need for the Department of Agriculture - to be renamed the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity - to embrace the particular and unique role in our overall biosecurity strategy. However, I STRONGLY OPPOSE placing the Department of Agriculture and the new deputy of biosecurity in charge of the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council and other biosecurity programs outside the Department of Agriculture’s current purview.

While I recognize and appreciate this measure’s effort to get the Department of Agriculture to embrace its long-neglected role in biosecurity, I have serious concerns about placing the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC) and other external programs and projects under the rebranded Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB), as well as the lack of accountability mechanisms for the proposed deputy of biosecurity.

HISC and its county-based invasive species committees (ISCs) play a critical role in stopping invasive pests before they cause lasting damage to our environment, food systems, and communities. HISC coordinates across agencies to research, plan around, engage community, and take action to hold the line and push back against the ever present threat of invasive pests. Despite limited funding, these teams have successfully prevented millions of dollars in damages by responding quickly to outbreaks, leading eradication efforts, and working with community groups to protect our forests, watersheds, and neighborhoods. 

Moving HISC and the ISCs under DAB would be a big mistake with potentially devastating consequences. The Department of Agriculture has struggled for years to meet its existing responsibilities, and even after receiving historic levels of funding last year, much of that money remains unspent. Shifting control of our already successful invasive species programs to an untested structure within DAB could set us back years in the fight against invasive species.

Further, I urge you to consider amendments that will better ensure the department and deputy are held accountable to their responsibilities going forward, such as regular reporting requirements to the Board of Agriculture and the public, deadlines for invasive species action plans with clear benchmarks for actions and outcomes, and initial and biannual confirmation hearings for the appointed deputy of biosecurity.

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (you’ll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB1100" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

OPPOSE HB1: Profit Over People Building Codes

February 5 update

HB1 has been deferred by the House Committee on Housing and is essentially defeated for this session! Mahalo nui to everyone that submitted testimony in opposition to this problematic measure and a special thank you to Chair Evslin for his leadership on this issue.

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February 3 update

Decision making on HB1 was deferred until Wednesday, February 5 at 9am. Stay tuned for more! 

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HB1 Bill Background

And here we go again! HB1, a bad building code bill, has a hearing on Friday, January 31 at 9:15am in the House Committee on Housing (room 430). Please take a moment to submit testimony in opposition to this dangerous measure!

This bill is the companion to SB120, a bill that was deferred in the Senate Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee last week, thanks to the numerous testimonies and concerns that were submitted to the Committee members. Like SB120, HB1 would compromise the safety of local families, first responders, and entire neighborhoods, as well as the economic and environmental interests of our communities at large, by removing the State Building Code Council’s authority to update state building codes, and eliminating the automatic code updates that have kept our codes up-to-date with minimum international standards even while Governor Green’s emergency proclamation(s) have prohibited the Council from conducting its business. 

Your testimony helped defeat SB120 (and SB48, another profit over people building code bill) last week! Please take a moment now to lend your voice one more time to help stop the House counterpart to that short-sighted, profit-driven proposal, and protect local families and our future society from bearing the economic, environmental, and human costs of outdated building standards.

See below for sample testimony and testimony instructions, and be sure to share this with anyone else who may wish to help safeguard our communities from this short-sighted proposal.

Sample testimony for HB1

Aloha Chair Evslin, Vice Chair Miyake, and Members of the Committee on Housing,

My name is [Your Name], and I oppose HB1 and its attempt to uplift developers’ short-term costs above the long-term safety, financial security, and well-being of Hawaiʻi’s residents and communities.

This bill would remove the State Building Code Council’s (SBCC) authority to update the state building code pursuant to international standards, and eliminate the automatic updates that have kept our building standards current notwithstanding the Governor’s emergency proclamations’ ongoing suspension of the SBCC. As recognized by the insurance industry and federal disaster funds, code updates are essential for protecting us from the growing threats of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters. Without updates, health, safety, and cost improvements for building standards could face indefinite delays, leaving homes, families, and first responders more vulnerable in the years and decades to come.

Our building codes should prioritize safety, resilience, and long-term savings—not the short-term financial concerns of profit-driven corporate interests. Delaying updates will cost us all more in the long run, both in dollars and in our physical, economic, and environmental security.

I urge you to HOLD HB1 and ensure that Hawaiʻi’s building codes remain up to date to protect our homes, people, and communities.

Thank you for considering my testimony.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "HB1" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

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January 25 update:

Good news! The Senate Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs deferred BOTH SB120 and SB48, so they are essentially defeated for this session! Mahalo nui to everyone that submitted testimony in opposition to these bills, and mahalo nui loa to Committee Chair Elefante and Vice Chair Wakai for their leadership in deferring these measures.

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SB48 & SB120 Bill Background

Here we go again! Two sneaky, bad bills that would sell out the safety and financial security of local families and first responders - as well as the economic and environmental interests of the community at large - will be considered TOMORROW, Friday, January 24, at 3pm. Please submit testimony to nip these short-sighted, profit-driven proposals in the bud, and protect local families and our future society from bearing the economic, environmental, and human costs of outdated building standards.

Your home is your safe space. You want it to be strong and protect your loved ones—especially during fires, natural disasters, or other emergencies. One major factor in creating a safe, resilient home is the building codes it adheres to - codes carefully designed and updated after years of study and discussion about safety, health, environmental burdens, and affordability, to ensure that the structures we occupy are safer, stronger, more efficient, and better prepared for the challenges we face today and in the future.

As climate change brings stronger hurricanes, more frequent flooding, drought-fed wildfires, and other extreme weather events, the risks to our homes and brick-and-mortar businesses have never been greater. Yet there is a push on the continent and now, here in Hawai‘i, to ignore building code updates that address these emerging threats, to reduce the up-front costs to developers at the long-term expense of local families, first responders, and taxpayers. 

Some developers and builders argue that updating codes adds extra costs that will be passed on to homeowners. But the cost of not updating codes is far greater. New homes built to outdated standards are more vulnerable to damage or destruction during disasters, putting the health and safety of tenants and emergency workers at risk, driving up insurance costs, and forcing our children to inherit buildings that needlessly waste water and drain energy they will need for their society to thrive.   

There are two bills scheduled for a hearing that would prioritize developer’s short-term profits over the health, safety, and economic interests of Hawaiʻi’s residents and our islands as a whole. SB48 and SB120 are scheduled to be heard on Friday, January 24 at 3pm in the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs. You can also watch the hearing live here. Take a moment now to submit testimony on these two bills that threaten the resilience of our homes and communities today and for decades to come. 

What the bills do 

SB48 requires the State Building Code Council to ask the building industry what building code updates would cost them - with no consideration of the long- and short-term economic, health, public safety, and environmental costs to residents and our islands. 

SB120 does the same, while also removing the Council’s authority to update state building codes, and eliminating the automatic code updates that have kept our codes up-to-date with minimum international standards, despite Governor Green’s emergency proclamation(s) that have prohibited the council from conducting its business. 

Sample testimony for SB48

Aloha Chair Elefante, Vice Chair Wakai, and Members of the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,

My name is [Your Name], and I oppose SB48 and its attempt to uplift developers’ short-term costs above the long-term safety, financial security, and well-being of Hawaiʻi’s residents and communities.

Like others before it, this bill is once again seeking to focus your attention only on the up-front costs of building code compliance, to undermine the wide ranging benefits and values provided by heavily researched and well-vetted building code updates.

To be clear: delaying or deferring building code updates will come at the expense of local residents and visitors, first responders, and taxpayers, potentially for decades to come. This measure turns a blind eye to the long-term economic, health and safety, and environmental costs that will result from rejecting building code updates that protect building tenants, keep insurance rates stable, mitigate climate disaster impacts on our emergency response and healthcare systems, and make our homes and communities safer, stronger, and more affordable in the long run. 

Clearly, we must not allow an assessment of the perceived short-term costs of building code updates to trump the health, safety, and economic interests of Hawaiʻi’s residents and our islands as a whole. This bill, however, would set the stage for decisionmakers to do just that.

I urge you to HOLD SB48.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Sample testimony for SB120

Aloha Chair Elefante, Vice Chair Wakai, and Members of the Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs,

My name is [Your Name], and I oppose SB120 and its attempt to uplift developers’ short-term costs above the long-term safety, financial security, and well-being of Hawaiʻi’s residents and communities.

This bill would remove the State Building Code Council’s (SBCC) authority to adjust the state building code pursuant to international standards, and eliminate the automatic updates that have kept our building standards current notwithstanding the Governor’s emergency proclamations’ ongoing suspension of the SBCC. As recognized by the insurance industry and federal disaster funds, code updates are essential for protecting us from the growing threats of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters. Without updates, health, safety, and cost improvements for building standards could face indefinite delays, leaving homes, families, and first responders more vulnerable in the years and decades to come.

Our building codes should prioritize safety, resilience, and long-term savings—not short-term financial concerns. Delaying updates will cost us all more in the long run, both in dollars and in security.

I urge you to HOLD SB120 and ensure that Hawaiʻi’s building codes remain up to date to protect our homes, communities, and future.

Thank you for considering my testimony.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB48 or SB120" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

   If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

SUPPORT SB639: No Jet Fuel in Water

February 3 update

SB639 was passed out of the Senate Health & Human Services and Agriculture & Environment committees. Mahalo nui to the more than 42 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and a special thanks to Chairs San Buenaventura and Gabbard for their leadership on this matter. 

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SB639 Bill Background

What amount of jet fuel in water should be an acceptable amount? If you say zero, then this is the bill for you!

SB639 - the “No jet fuel in water” bill - will be heard by the Senate Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment Committees on Friday, January 31, at 1pm in Conference Room 225. The hearing can also be watched live here.

This measure makes clear that any jet fuel, jet fuel additives, or compounds resulting from the degradation of jet fuel must be completely and fully remediated in the event of a leak from an underground storage tank. This includes jet fuel that is released from federally owned and operated underground storage tank facilities - including the US Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, which has released between 200,000 to 2 million gallons of fuel and contaminated Oʻahu’s primary drinking water aquifer.  

While this is a common sense proposal, it is likely to be opposed by the US Department of Defense, which holds considerable political influence in our islands. Accordingly, it is vital that this bill receives the community’s support!

Please take a moment to testify - sample testimony and testimony instructions are provided below - and please share this with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and anyone you know who cares about clean drinking water, and the preciousness of our wai.

What the bill does

SB639 requires the complete clean-up of jet fuel - including fuel additives and compounds formed by the breakdown of jet fuel over time - that is released into the environment from an underground storage tank facility.

Why is this good

Four years after the horrifying contamination of Oʻahu’s ʻāina and wai - and the poisoning of thousands of residents - with jet fuel released from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, there is still no clear enforceable standard for remediation from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. This bill would make clear that we expect no less than the full cleanup of jet fuel that is released from underground storage tank facilities, including Red Hill, without waiting for the Department of Health to act.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chairs San Buenaventura and Gabbard, Vice-Chairs Aquino and Richards, and Members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment, 

My name is [Your name] and I STRONGLY SUPPORT SB639, which makes clear that any jet fuel released from an underground storage tank system - such as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility - must be completely cleaned up.

Well over three years after the last of many, many jet fuel releases from the Red Hill Facility - one that poisoned our sole source aquifer and thousands of residents - and nearly two years after the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative called for the complete clean up of this contamination, there are still no clear remediation standards for jet fuel established by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. 

This bill would finally establish a common sense legal standard that will also be binding on the federal government: there should be NO jet fuel in our precious and once-pure drinking water or in our environment, especially when it has been released by the reckless operation of a decrepit underground storage tank facility as in the case with Red Hill.

I urge you to PASS SB639.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB639" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

1. Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

SUPPORT SB252 + HB427: Invasive Pest Controls

January 30 update

SB252 was passed with technical amendments by the Senate Committees on Agriculture & Environment and Commerce & Consumer Protections. There were over 57 individual testimonies submitted in support—mahalo nui to everyone that submitted testimony and thank you to Chairs Keohokālole and Gabbard for their leadership on this critical issue.

HB427 was passed with amendments to prevent potential inadvertent impacts to the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council. However, there continues to be a need to ensure any deputy of biosecurity truly embraces their biosecurity responsibilities, given the current Department of Agriculture leadersʻ longstanding failure to do so.

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SB252 & HB427 Bill Background

Invasive species like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle are already disrupting life in Hawaiʻi, harming farms and food production, cultural practices, recreation, public health, local businesses, and our overall quality of life. These and other pests threaten to radically alter Hawaiʻi’s environment and our and future generations’ connection to these islands, if we do not make immediate and transformative shifts in our biosecurity framework.

Two crucial bills that will help us combat the introduction and spread of invasive pests have been scheduled for a hearing this Wednesday, and could use your support!

SB252 would target the importation and sale of infested items, two major pathways for invasive species to be introduced to and spread across our islands. The bill will be heard on Wednesday, January 29, 9:30am by the Senate Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Commerce and Consumer Protection in conference room 229. You can also watch the hearing live here.

HB427 would re-brand the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, with additional regulatory authorities relating to imports, quarantines, and emergencies, as well as funding for dozens of full time positions to support its biosecurity functions. The bill will also be heard on Wednesday, January 29, 9:30am by the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems in conference room 325. You can also watch the hearing live here.

Take a moment now to testify on these important bills!

What these bills do

SB252 prohibits the import or sale/donation of pest-infested items, and clarifies the Agriculture Department’s authority and responsibility to enforce these prohibitions through administrative inspections and quarantine orders, among other provisions.

HB427 renames the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (DAB), with a deputy of biosecurity to oversee its biosecurity responsibilities. The DAB would have the authority to subpoena documentation from agricultural commodity importers relating to a known or suspected pest infestation, quarantine farms or businesses known to be infested with an invasive pest or restricted species, and declare a biosecurity emergency under certain conditions to transfer funds or temporarily requisition goods, real property, or watercraft to address the emergency. The bill also includes funding for 44 full time positions to support the DAB’s work.

Why your testimony is needed

As we have already experienced, when infested or infected items are brought into Hawaiʻi or moved between or within islands, pests and diseases can spread rapidly, causing significant harm to crops, native species, public health, local businesses, and our quality of life. We’ve also seen that it can take years or decades for the Department of Agriculture to implement quarantines and other controls, leaving Hawaiʻi dangerously exposed to the devastating threats of invasive pests. Hawaiʻi cannot afford further delays in addressing the growing threat of invasive species to our ‘āina, food security, cultural practices, economy, health, and quality of life.

SB252 goes even further than the recent biosecurity rule amendments that allow for quarantines of infested products upon order by the Department of Agriculture. This bill would automatically prohibit the importation and sale or donation of infested items, without requiring the Department of Agriculture to act. 

HB427 emphasizes the Department of Agriculture’s long-neglected biosecurity role, establishing a deputy director of biosecurity to focus on fulfilling this role, and providing the renamed DAB with additional biosecurity tools and funds for much-needed staff positions. While these changes are generally positive, accountability mechanisms may be needed to ensure the department and its deputy actually take their biosecurity responsibilities seriously.

Sample testimony for SB252

Aloha Chairs Keohokālole and Gabbard, Vice Chairs Fukunaga and Richards, and members of the Senate Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Agriculture and Environment,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB252. Invasive species like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle are already causing serious harm to Hawaiʻi’s environment, agriculture, and communities, and we must make major transformative shifts in our biosecurity strategy to mitigate the impacts of these and other invasive pests on our islands and future generations.

This bill will make clear that the import and intrastate sale or gift of invasive species-infested items is prohibited - without requiring the Department of Agriculture to pass rules or issue orders, processes that could take months, years, or decades. It will also remove the Department’s ability to use the lack of inspection or quarantine authorities as an excuse for inaction, as has been the case with the little fire ant, coconut rhinoceros beetle, and too many other known pests.

SB252 is essential to safeguarding our environment, food security, and way of life.

Therefore, I urge you to PASS SB252.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Sample testimony for HB427

Aloha Chair Kahaloa, Vice Chair Kusch, and members of the House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems,

My name is [Your name] and I support HB427 with a friendly suggestion for amendments. Invasive species like the little fire ant and coconut rhinoceros beetle are already causing serious harm to Hawaiʻi’s environment, agriculture, and communities, and we must make major transformative shifts in our biosecurity strategy to mitigate the impacts of these and other invasive pests on our islands and future generations.

Unfortunately, Department of Agriculture leadership has made it abundantly clear that they are unwilling and/or unable to act decisively and proactively in fulfilling their biosecurity responsibilities, and protecting our islands from the devastating impacts of invasive species. Re-naming the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, and providing for a new deputy director to focus on the department’s biosecurity functions, may help to emphasize the pressing need for it to do its part in our all-hands-on-deck fight against invasive pests. The additional authorities and funding for staff positions may also remove any excuses the department may have for its past failures to uphold its biosecurity role.

I do urge you to consider amendments that will better ensure the department and deputy are held accountable to their responsibilities going forward, such as regular reporting requirements to the Board of Agriculture and the public, deadlines for invasive species action plans with clear benchmarks for actions and outcomes, and initial and biannual confirmation hearings for the appointed deputy of biosecurity.

Accordingly, I urge you to PASS WITH AMENDMENTS HB427.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

3. Enter "SB252" or “HB427” where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
   *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

Advocate for the ʻĀina and your Community This Legislative Session

Originally published in the January 2025 Mālama Monthly.

Today, Wednesday, January 15, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature reconvened to take up laws and policies that have the potential to shape the future of our island home for generations.  

The 2025 Legislative Session promises to be eventful, with a handful of new lawmakers in office, and most notably, new House of Representative leadership. Several key issues are set to take center stage, with the potential for transformative measures that will create a more resilient future:

Water Resources

With Oʻahu’s drinking water already compromised, it is crucial to protect the island’s remaining sources from further contamination. This session, we anticipate proposals addressing:

• The proposed site for Oʻahu’s next landfill, as well as future landfill siting on other islands.

• Remediation requirements for jet fuel released from large underground storage tank facilities.

• The confirmation of the controversial Water Commission loea seat, along with possibly two additional anticipated vacancies on the Commission.

Invasive Species and Biosecurity

Since the last legislative session, Hawaiʻi’s invasive pest crisis has worsened. Coconut rhinoceros beetles continue to wreak havoc on Oʻahu—where it is now more common to see coconut rhinoceros beetle munched niu than healthy ones—and are spreading across Kauaʻi. Meanwhile, little fire ants continue to infiltrate new communities on Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi. With permanent quarantine rules soon to be in place, the Agriculture Department will need additional funding and staffing to see through their invasive species responsibilities, as well as a higher level of accountability to ensure the status quo foot dragging does not continue to the detriment of our natural environment. Further, there is a need for enhanced biosecurity measures and invasive species controls to combat current and future invasive species threats. 

Housing, Development, and the Environment

Affordable housing is poised to be a central issue this session, as indicated by the Green Administration and lawmakers. We will closely monitor housing legislation to ensure it is not used as a pretext to weaken environmental, cultural, agricultural, and good governance laws. Addressing the many root causes of our housing challenges and avoiding harmful red herrings must remain the priority.

We will also stand in strong defense of the Hawaiʻi Land Use Commission, ensuring it retains the authority and expertise needed to navigate and balance the complex public interests affected by large-scale developments.

Climate Resiliency

The impacts of climate destabilization are already here and will only worsen. Hawaiʻi must stay on track to meet its clean energy goals with energy sources that are truly clean, renewable, and safe, not only to minimize our carbon emissions but to build out our islands’ resiliency. Resiliency also requires up-to-date building codes that account for climate impacts and protect our families and first responders and guarantees that insurance remains accessible and equitable for communities most at risk.

Lahaina

We remain committed to supporting the Lahaina community in their recovery and rebuilding efforts. We will continue to stand with the West Maui community to ward off unwanted exploitation of their freshwater and natural resources by politically connected landowner and developer interests. 

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Get Involved This Session

Bills are already being introduced and our staff and volunteers are busy sifting through to track bills in our priority areas. We are just days away from opening day—now is the time to prepare to make this your most engaged legislative session yet. Our Hawaiʻi CapitolWatch program aims to make participating in the legislative process as easy as possible. Be sure to follow along with our priority bills at hawaiicapitolwatch.org and sign up for CapitolWatch email alerts here. 

Also consider signing up for the Environmental Legislative Network, a network for activists, community leaders, students, professors, elected officials, and others to share news and calls to action regarding Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural public trust resources - simply email us at hawaii.chapter@sierraclub.org to be added to the ELN email list.

2025 Legislative Calendar

Create a Legislature Website Account

Creating an account on the Hawaiʻi State Legislature website is the best way to ensure your voice is heard. The website is user friendly and registering yourself will allow you to submit testimony without the need to re-enter required information, create personalized measure tracking lists, and receive official hearing notices directly to your inbox.

If you have participated in the legislature before, you likely already have an account and you do not need to create a new account every year.

You can also helpful documents on navigating the capitol website, writing and submitting testimony, committee schedules, calendar and more on the Public Access Room’s website here.

Sign Up for Email Updates

With heightening climate crisis impacts, fuel and forever chemicals poisoning our water, a skyrocketing cost of living, development threatening significant lands and countless other issues impacting our lives as we know it and the future well-being of the islands, Hawaiʻi needs policies and lawmakers that take a stand for our shared environment and all the lives that depend on it.

We need people like you to share your voice and take action on issues you care about and encourage your friends and family to do the same. One way to do that is to stay up to date on the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi's 2025 legislative priorities by subscribing to our CapitolWatch email list—you will receive updates and action alerts straight to your inbox.

Ready to Make a Difference? Join Our New In-District Lobby Program

The recent primary election has set the stage for an exciting 2025 Legislative Session with new leadership and fresh faces. As summer winds down, we are preparing for the upcoming year and launching an innovative In-District Lobby Program—and we are looking for volunteers like you!

You are invited to play a key role in the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi’s advocacy efforts by becoming a volunteer lobbyist in our new In-District Lobby Program.

As a volunteer lobbyist, you will work closely with a team to coordinate district lobbying efforts for your representative or senator in the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. Through this role, you’ll build a relationship with your legislator and highlight the local significance of the Chapter's legislative priorities. You and your team will be the Sierra Club’s voice in your district.

History has shown that consistent, district-level engagement with legislators can significantly improve their voting records. These lobbying efforts often foster new leadership at the Capitol. Our goal is to amplify our impact by creating a network of knowledgeable and effective advocates like you, who will take responsibility for ongoing communication with their legislators. The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi will provide you with regular updates and occasional opportunities to connect with volunteers from other districts to share experiences and strategies.

Committing to this program means dedicating 2-5 hours a month to activities such as:

• Scheduling and attending in-person or virtual meetings with your representative or senator.

• Participating in Sierra Club issue briefings, skill trainings, or researching specific bills.

• Attending a possible lobby day at the Capitol (travel reimbursement may be available).

• Reporting back to fellow volunteers and staff on your legislator’s stance on priority issues.

We are reaching out to select activists like you because we believe your involvement can make a significant difference. We understand your time is valuable, and we are confident that by focusing our efforts in this coordinated way, we can greatly increase political support for sound environmental policies in Hawaiʻi. The Sierra Club is committed to supporting you throughout this experience to ensure it is rewarding and impactful.

The coming years present tremendous opportunities to advance the environmental agenda in our islands. With your help, we believe this will be a pivotal time for clean air, clean water, open spaces, and the many other causes we care about.

If you’re ready to make a difference, sign up using this form to express your interest in joining the Hawaiʻi In-District Lobby Team, and we’ll be in touch with the next steps.