HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

74

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of land and natural resources to conduct an independent appraisal of molokai properties limited landholdings on the island of molokai.

 

 

 


WHEREAS, Molokai Properties Limited (MPL) is owned by a foreign company, GuocoLeisure Limited, based in Singapore; and

 

WHEREAS, in April 2008, MPL shut down all of its business operations on Molokai; and

 

WHEREAS, under orders by the Department of Health, MPL was required to continue to provide water and sewer services; and

 

WHEREAS, MPL has not made any commitment to continue to provide water and sewer services and the County of Maui has been forced to commence litigation against MPL to enforce contracts to operate and maintain water and wastewater systems for the protection of the health and safety of its citizens; and

 

WHEREAS, MPL owns over 60,000 acres of land, approximately one-third of the land on the island of Molokai; and

 

WHEREAS, MPL has engaged in land use practices that have substantially contributed to the loss of rainforests on its properties and to the increase of erosion, which depletes the quality of soil on the land and harms the marine ecosystems along Molokai's coastline; and

 

WHEREAS, MPL is now denying access to most of its landholdings to Molokai residents who relied on those lands for gathering, hunting, and fishing; and


WHEREAS, MPL lands contain numerous wahi pana (places of historical and cultural value), including heiau and ceremonial sites, ancient taro loi, and loko ia (ancient Hawaiian fishponds); and

 

WHEREAS, to protect and preserve Hawaii's historic and cultural heritage, a number of private entities have recently expressed interest in acquiring all or parts of MPL's landholdings; and

 

WHEREAS, to negotiate the purchase of any of MPL's landholdings or to advance any other options or alternatives with regard to these properties, it is necessary to ascertain its value; now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to conduct an independent appraisal of MPL's landholdings on the island of Molokai; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the appraisal shall be based on the land classification set by the County of Maui as of January 1, 2009; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Molokai Properties Limited; Independent Appraisal; DLNR