RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the brown tree snake, a native species of Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Australia, was first introduced to the United States territory of Guam through military planes and ships traveling to Guam during the 1940s or 1950s; and

WHEREAS, with no known predator, Guam's brown tree snake population has proliferated to the point that there are as many as 12,000 snakes per square mile in certain dense jungle areas; and

WHEREAS, Guam is now plagued with numerous problems caused by these brown tree snakes; and

WHEREAS, the brown tree snake has wiped out nine of Guam's 11 native bird species, attacking them by either eating their eggs or injecting venom into their victims by chewing; and

WHEREAS, the snakes also prey on lizards, bats, chickens, and household pets, and there have been instances where the snakes have invaded homes biting sleeping residents, who often require medical attention; and

WHEREAS, brown tree snakes also slither up power poles and along power lines and since 1978 have caused over 1,200 power outages on Guam, which occur when the snakes simultaneously touch both live and grounded conductors, creating power faults, short circuits, and electrical surges that damage electrical equipment and appliances; and

WHEREAS, the brown tree snake's presence in Hawaii could cause as much as $405 million in annual damage, according to a recent University of Hawaii study; and

WHEREAS, U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors annually catch between 6,000 and 7,000 snakes at Guam's ports of exit, with nearly two-thirds of those found at Air Force and Navy cargo facilities; and

WHEREAS, in spite of regular, daily inspections, brown tree snakes have been found in the northern Marianas Islands, the Marshall Islands, Okinawa, Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, Alaska, and Corpus Christi, Texas, with Guam believed to be the originating source; and

WHEREAS, for the past 11 years, the Department of Defense has not increased its funding for inspections in Guam despite increased military traffic through Guam and rising program costs; and

WHEREAS, as a result of a reduction in federal funding in September, 2004, 34 airplanes left Andersen Air Force Base in Guam without being inspected for brown tree snakes; and

WHEREAS, as a bridge between Guam and the continental United States, Hawaii is more vulnerable to infestation by brown tree snakes than other states; and

WHEREAS, if tighter precautions are not immediately taken, the brown tree snakes will spread to Hawaii and beyond and cause environmental and economic damage on a much larger scale than the ecological disaster in Guam; and

WHEREAS, state officials estimate that the cost to conduct brown tree snake inspections for all planes and boats leaving Guam would be under $3 million, a seemingly worthwhile investment compared to the possible hundreds of millions of dollars lost to eradication efforts, and to lost productivity and repair costs associated with power outages caused by the brown tree snakes; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that Hawaii's congressional delegation is respectfully requested to introduce and support legislation and provide funding that will prevent brown tree snakes from being imported into the United States; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that federal funding be provided in an amount that will ensure that the ecological and economic disasters that have taken place in Guam due to the brown tree snake do not occur elsewhere in Hawaii or the other United States; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to members of Hawaii's congressional delegation, the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Governor of Hawaii.

Report Title:

Brown Tree Snakes; Federal Ban on Importation