STAND. COM. REP. NO. 163

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 208
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, to
which was referred H.B. No. 208 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
     QUALITY CONTROL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to require publication of
environmentally-related permit applications in the Office of
Environmental Quality Control (OEQC) bulletin.

     Testimony was received in support of the bill from the Land
Use Commission, the Office of Environmental Quality Control, Na
Leo Pohai, the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club, Life of the
Land, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, Common Cause Hawaii,  and two
concerned citizens.  

     Testimony in opposition to the bill was received from the
City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and
Permitting, and the County of Hawaii's Planning Department.
Testimony expressing concerns regarding the proposed bill was
received from the Office of Planning, the Environmental Center,
and Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiary utilities, Maui
Electric Company and Hawaii Electric Light Company.

     Your Committee finds that the Environmental Notice, the
semi-monthly bulletin of OEQC, is striving to become a "one-stop
shop" for environmental notices to the greatest possible extent.
Currently, agency notices are printed on a space-available basis.

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 163
                                 Page 2

 
However, the requirement of published public notices going out to
bid may not reach an audience of "general circulation."  Your
Committee notes that the OEQC bulletin is now available through
the internet, which offers a greater potential of accessibility
at less cost.

     Your Committee also finds that currently the publication of
environmentally-related permit applications in the OEQC bulletin
cost approximately $35,000 per year.  OEQC may not require
additional funding to publish these required applications.

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments have been made to this
bill for purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection that is attached
to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 208, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No.
208, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Water and Land
Use.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Energy and
                                   Environmental Protection,



                                   ______________________________
                                   HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair