STAND. COM. REP. NO. 260

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1053

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Energy and Environment and Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1053 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to amend chapter 343, Hawaii Revised Statutes, in order to allow an agency to transfer the responsibility for preparing and funding environmental assessments and environmental impact statements to the private entity user who will actually be using the state or county land or when new improvements necessary to accommodate the private entity's operations are to be constructed with state or county funds.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one state department.  Testimony expressing concerns regarding this measure was submitted by three private organizations.  Testimony in opposition was submitted by one private organization.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find this measure permits the State and county agencies to fairly shift the cost for the necessary environmental reviews required by law to the actual user of the state and county lands or funds.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive stylistic changes.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environment and Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1053, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1053, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environment and Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs,

 

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair

 

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair