STAND. COM. REP. NO. 928

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 408

H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 408, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to eliminate the conflict of interest where an agency determines, after an environmental assessment, whether its proposed action will have a significant effect on the environment, which would then require the agency to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) by authorizing the Office of Environmental Quality Control to review the agency's determination and make a final decision on whether and EIS is required.

Life of the Land, Waikiki Residents Association, Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter, and several concerned individuals supported this bill. The Department of Health and the Environmental Center of the University of Hawaii supported the intent of this measure. The Department of Transportation and the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii opposed this measure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2010, to

encourage further discussion on this measure; and

 

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity,

consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 408, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 408, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

 

____________________________

DWIGHT TAKAMINE, Chair