STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1755

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 107

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 107 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING FEDERAL, STATE, AND COUNTY AGENCIES TO IMPLEMENT THE 2006 OCEAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to encourage federal, state, and county agencies to make informed decisions about the use and management of Hawaii's ocean and coastal resources by encouraging federal, state, and county agencies to implement the goals and strategic actions in the 2006 Ocean Resources Management Plan.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources; the Department of Agriculture; and the Office of Planning, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

 

     After a three-year endeavor, the Office of Planning submitted to the Legislature in December 2006, an updated Ocean Resources Management Plan that provides a framework to address ocean resources issues through a proactive planning process; identifies management goals and strategies; establishes timeframes for implementation, monitoring, and evaluation; and identifies responsibilities for a number of agencies and interest groups.  Studies have shown that over the next twenty years, Hawaii's ocean and coastal environment will suffer from or be impacted by a variety of potentially harmful factors, including urbanization, global climate changes, recreational and commercial ocean uses, and invasive species.  Your Committees find that the 2006 Ocean Resources Management Plan will provide a framework to address these issues through a proactive planning process that can mitigate these harmful impacts.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by requesting that all affected federal, state, and county departments and agencies submit a written report of:

 

     (1)  The current status of the department or agency implementing the goals and strategic actions in the 2006 Ocean Resources Management Plan;

 

     (2)  Any accomplished goals or benchmarks, and any factors attributing to these accomplishments; and

 

     (3)  Any reasons for the department or agency failing to meet these goals or benchmarks, or failure to act;

 

to the Legislature prior to every Regular Session until the 2012 Regular Session, at which point a final report is requested to be submitted to the Legislature.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 107, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 107, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

 

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

 

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair