Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 375) to require the Secretary of the Interior to partner and collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture and the State of Hawaii to address Rapid Ohia Death, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 375, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, Representative Tokuda's legislation, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025, is important legislation that directs the Secretary of the Interior to partner and collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture and the State of Hawaii to address rapid ohia death.

Rapid ohia death is a fungal disease that has ravaged Hawaii's ohia tree population. The ohia tree is important ecologically and culturally to Hawaii. Ohias play an important role in regulating water flow in addition to preventing soil erosion.

If the loss of ohia trees continues, there could be significant economic impacts, including lost tourism revenue and increased water treatment and erosion control costs. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure that can help the afflicted trees.

H.R. 375 helps address rapid ohia death by focusing Federal and State agencies' efforts on detection, prevention, and restoration to combat this disease.

I thank Representative Tokuda for her work on this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Agriculture,

Washington, DC, January 15, 2025.

Hon. Bruce Westerman,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual

understanding regarding H.R. 375, the ``Continued Rapid Ohia

Death Response Act.'' Thank you for collaborating with the

Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our

jurisdiction.

The Committee on Agriculture will forego any further

consideration of this bill. However, by foregoing

consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction

over any subject matter contained in this or similar

legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the

right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of

conferees should it become necessary and ask that you support

such a request.

We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 375 and request a

copy of our letters on this matter be published in the

Congressional Record during Floor consideration.

Sincerely,

Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda) for her work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, before a lot was understood about the science of forestry, Teddy Roosevelt, maybe our original conservationist in America, understood that trees were the lungs of the Earth. They breathe in carbon dioxide; they breathe out oxygen, but he also understood that trees are kind of like the kidneys of the Earth. They are extremely important to protect watersheds. They are extremely important to maintain our ecosystems. It is what we are looking at today with the ohia tree and the importance that it has to Hawaii's ecosystem, to the people there, and to the economy.

When we talk about an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, figuring out what is happening to these trees and stopping that will save tens of millions if not billions of dollars in the future if damage is done to the watershed there in Hawaii.

It is another example of how having a healthy resilient forest benefits everyone. We are not necessarily talking

about wildfire. We are not talking about a tree that has timber value, but it has tremendous value in the ecosystem and the economy there in Hawaii.

This legislation, again, will help focus Federal and State resources on conserving one of Hawaii's most important species.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 375, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025.

The ohia lehua tree forms the backbone of Hawaii's forest and watersheds making up 80 percent of our native forests. It is the very first tree that you will see spring up from a recent lava flow. It grows from sea level to 8,000 feet above, and it protects our communities by literally holding up our mountains from eroding, keeping them together.

Ohia lehua also provides critical habitat for Hawaii's federally endangered forest birds and many culturally important species.

These trees are a keystone species in Hawaii's forest, and it is catastrophic to see its decline. It has the potential to trigger major imbalances in our ecosystem that would impact watersheds, cultural traditions, natural resources, and the safety and quality of life of our people.

Because of the vital role they play in maintaining Hawaii's forest canopies and watersheds, rapid ohia death, or ROD, poses an existential threat to the ecological balance of our islands and the everyday life of our people.

Initially reported in 2010, ROD has already spread to tens of thousands of acres and killed over a million trees on Hawaii island alone. If you visited the Big Island of Hawaii where our volcano erupts from time to time, literally, we have lost a million trees just on that island. Large swaths of dead ohia trees leave environments more prone to habitat-modifying noxious weeds and trees like miconia and strawberry guava, all of which are known to harm watershed health and alter ecosystem functions.

Efforts to contain ROD have also failed to prevent its spread to the islands of Oahu, Kauai, and Maui. With no known cure for ROD, it has the potential to kill off ohia trees statewide and devastate our island ecosystems.

In addition to its impacts on delicate native ecosystems, ROD has the potential to create deadly consequences for our local residents and visitors alike. The death of tens of thousands of acres of native forests, turning them into brittle tinder, creates acres of deadly fire fuel for wildfires that pose a growing threat to our communities. One of the things that people love about Hawaii is the greenery and the vegetation in and around our communities. Tragically, we know all too well the risks that come when our greenery and vegetation are no longer green and the consequences that can happen as a result of fire.

Despite the dire implications of ROD on Hawaii's natural resources and communities, Federal support for combating ROD has been extremely limited. For example, the Lyon Arboretum, a local research facility on Oahu, relied on funding through a GoFundMe campaign to further the vital seed banking for ohia lehua.

My bill, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act, seeks to address ROD and the urgent threat that it presents. The bill requires the Department of the Interior to partner and collaborate with the Department of Agriculture and the State of Hawaii to address ROD. It also supports ongoing detection, prevention, and restoration efforts to combat rapid ohia death. By empowering the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fully assist the State of Hawaii in its ROD efforts, we can begin to not only more effectively prevent the spread of ROD but move to restoring native forests throughout our State.

Mr. Speaker, I very much thank and send our sincerest ``mahalos,'' ``thanks'' to Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Huffman, and their staff, especially the Federal lands team, for the support, assistance, and continued prioritization of this very important bill.

We cannot afford to wait. We cannot afford to stand alone and continue to lose our native forests in Hawaii. They protect and sustain our people and provide critical habitat for native species. This bill can also help to turn the tide in the fight against Rapid Ohia Death and, in doing so, protect and preserve ohia lehua and Hawaii's unique ecosystems for our future generations.

Mr. Speaker, I thank again all who have supported our bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act, introduced by my colleague from Hawaii, Representative Jill Tokuda. We worked on this bill last Congress. Unfortunately, it didn't make it all the way across the finish line, but I thank Chair Westerman and my colleagues across the aisle for agreeing to schedule a vote early in this new Congress to keep the momentum going.

This legislation is vital. It addresses an urgent need to combat rapid ohia death, which has already led to the loss of over 1 million native ohia trees in Hawaii just since 2014 when this harmful fungus was discovered.

The significance of these trees can't be overstated. They are Hawaii's most abundant native tree. They play a critical role in preserving the State's unique biodiversity and protecting its native ecosystems. It is essential that we take immediate action to prevent further devastation and ensure the survival of this iconic species.

This bill emphasizes the need for research and aid to enhance our understanding of this deadly fungus and explore innovative solutions to combat its impact. It also fosters collaboration between Federal agencies, the State of Hawaii, and local stakeholders.

This comprehensive approach will help mitigate the threat of this disease and protect Hawaii's native forests and ecosystems, safeguarding these treasured and ecologically vital trees for future generations and preserving the unique ecosystems and rich biodiversity that make our Nation so exceptional.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tokuda for her leadership and tenacity on this critical issue, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Tokuda).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.