STAND. COM. REP. NO.997-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.R. No. 67

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Water and Land Use, to which was referred H.R. No. 67 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL, THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, THE SIERRA CLUB, HAWAI`I CHAPTER, THE LAND USE RESEARCH FOUNDATION, THE CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF HAWAI`I, THE ESTATE OF JAMES CAMPBELL, EARTHJUSTICE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND, THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I, AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES, TO ANALYZE POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO HAWAI`I'S ENDANGERED SPECIES LAW, CHAPTER 195D, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES, TO FURTHER THE GOALS OF PROTECTING AND PROMOTING THE RECOVERY OF HAWAI`I'S UNIQUE AND IMPERILED FLORA AND FAUNA,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this resolution is to request the State Environment Council (SEC) and other interested parties to form a working group to discuss and analyze potential amendments to Hawaii's endangered species law, chapter 195D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to further the goals of protecting and promoting the recovery of Hawaii's unique and imperiled flora and fauna.

The Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter, and Earthjustice supported this measure. The SEC supported the intent of this measure. The Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaii Agriculture Research Center commented on this measure.

While your Committees recognize the complexity of the endangered species law, it is not the intent of your Committees to tax the limited resources of the SEC in complying with the Legislature's reporting requirements of this measure. Rather, a collaborative effort on the part of the members of the working group in the preparation of the report to the Legislature is a reasonable expectation.

Your Committees further appreciate the commitment of the SEC to include in the Office of Environmental Quality Control's (OEQC) annual report to the Governor a component addressing the issue of endangered species, which dovetails with OEQC's goals relating to:

(1) Recycling;

(2) Energy sustainability;

(3) Biodiversity; and

(4) Controlling consumption, vis-à-vis land development.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Expanding the reporting request to the Legislature to include recommendations;

(2) Requesting that the issue of conservation of threatened or endangered species on public lands be included in the working group's scope of discussion and analysis; and

(3) Changing the title to read:

"REQUESTING THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL, THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, SIERRA CLUB, HAWAII CHAPTER, LAND USE RESEARCH FOUNDATION, CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF HAWAII, ESTATE OF JAMES CAMPBELL, EARTHJUSTICE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES, TO ANALYZE POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO HAWAII'S ENDANGERED SPECIES LAW, CHAPTER 195D, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES, TO FURTHER THE GOALS OF PROTECTING AND PROMOTING THE RECOVERY OF HAWAII'S UNIQUE AND IMPERILED FLORA AND FAUNA"; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style, clarity, and consistency.

 

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Water and Land Use that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 67, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 67, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Water and Land Use,

 

____________________________

EZRA KANOHO, Chair

____________________________

HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair