STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3024

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2133

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 2133 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE NATURAL AREA RESERVE SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to prohibit vehicular access within the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve, except for the Department of Land and Natural Resources' vehicles used to manage or maintain the reserve.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Comments were also submitted by Life of the Land.

Your Committee finds that the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve is one of the last relatively intact coastal dune ecosystem on Oahu. Over the years, off-road driving in this area has caused severe degradation to the natural environment. This measure prevents unnecessary degradation from continuing by prohibiting all vehicular access within the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Providing an exception for emergency vehicle access to the Natural Area Reserve;

(2) Allowing the Department of Land and Natural Resources to adopt rules to allow limited vehicular access to the Natural Area Reserve for permitted fishing and camping activities;

(3) Providing a savings clause; and

(4) Making a technical, nonsubstantive change for style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2133, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2133, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair