HONOLULU (KHON2) — Federal officials want to expand the coconut rhinoceros beetle program in Hawaii — it is currently only active on Oahu.
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Some lawmakers said transparency will be key if more funds are granted since the local infestation has only gotten worse since 2014.
The United States Department of Agriculture has been working to contain the spread of CRB on Oahu since 2014, but it has been a losing battle. The beetles have overtaken Oahu and have also been found on Kauai and the Big Island since 2022.
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“For too long we keep thinking that, ‘Oh, it’s not that much of a problem. It’s not that much of a problem’ until it reaches a point where now it’s really a problem. And then now we’re in a reactive state versus being proactive,” said Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, chair of the State Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Federal agriculture officials released a draft environmental assessment on Monday, Dec. 2 that calls to expand Oahu’s CRB response program statewide, a move that would access to more funding.