STAND. COM. REP. NO.1482

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.C.R. No. 153

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 153 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING AN INVESTIGATION ON THE STATE AND COUNTIES' LAND USE POLICIES WITH REGARD TO SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request an Auditor's investigation of current land use policies being used to determine sites for landfills in the State.

Testimony in support of this resolution was submitted by the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu. Life of the Land submitted comments.

Your Committees find that Hawaii's solid waste management challenges should be addressed comprehensively, with an examination of existing solid waste management and landfill policies. Your Committees also find that the Auditor should expand the requested investigation to include other concerns related to the location and management of solid waste facilities on islands with limited land space and sole-source aquifers.

Your Committees have amended the measure to reflect the above concerns. As amended, the measure also requests examinations of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, State and county codes focusing on landfill locations, potential risks of placing landfills over sole-source aquifers, the compliance record of public and private waste disposal programs, and environmental justice issues.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 153, as amended herein, recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 153, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Energy and Environment,

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J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair