Multi-Agency Joint Use Inspection Facility at Honolulu Airport ($500,000)
The requested funding would be for planning and design of a joint state-federal agricultural inspection facility.
The proposed facility would house three plant quarantine programs in Hawaii: Hawaii State Plant Quarantine, USDA APHIS PPQ, and Department of Homeland Security-Customs and Border Protection. The shared space facility would include biosecurity containment, storage and destruction capability, and diagnostics to enhance information sharing across jurisdictional lines. Funds would be used to complete the initial design and planning stage of Phase I for a joint use satellite facility along the Ewa Concourse of the Honolulu International Airport, which has been made available by the State Department of Transportation, Airports Division, for the project.
Some 15 to 20 new invasive species are established in Hawaii each year. Once these invasives get in, it is difficult or impossible to eradicate them. Some recent examples of harmful invasive species include the Erythina gall wasp, first found in 2005, which is killing off the native endemic wiliwili tree; ohia rust, which threatens the foundation tree of the native Hawaiian forest (ohia) and the endangered endemic birds, insects, and plants that depend on that ecosystem; and the coqui frog, which came in with nursery plants and has greatly damaged the ability of that industry to export its goods. The coqui also threatens native ecosystems and the lack of natural predators means that densities of this frog can reach 8,000 animals per acre. A single male coqui frog makes sounds after nightfall in the range of 90 decibels, equivalent to a lawnmower. The presence of coqui is depressing real estate values, threatens Hawaii’s important visitor industry, and negatively affects the quality of life in Hawaii.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture is determined to stem the flow of invasive species into the State. The State has dedicated $500,000 for this planning effort and secured a Homeland Security grant for $100,000.
Recipient: Hawaii Department of Agriculture
1428 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
Why this is a good use of taxpayer dollars: It is far less expensive to prevent the introduction of new harmful species than to try to eradicate them after they have become established. Invasive species have harmful impacts on Hawaii's agriculture, environment, and economy.
