STAND. COM. REP. NO.  109

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

 

RE:   H.B. No. 424

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 424 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to extend the temporary exemption from the environmental impact statement law afforded to action involving infrastructure within an existing public right-of-way.

 

More specifically, this measure would amend Act 87, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009, by changing the date of its repeal from June 30, 2011, to July 1, 2013.

 

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Office of Environmental Quality Control of the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association Hawaii Chapter, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce, the Hawaii Association of Realtors, the Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiaries, the Hawaii Electric Light Company, the Maui Electric Company, and the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii.  Testimony in opposition was submitted by one private individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that this measure will save time and money for state agencies and proponents of small projects that are not environmentally harmful from the requirements of environmental impact statements.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 424 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources,

 

 

____________________________

JERRY L. CHANG, Chair

 

____________________________

HERMINA MORITA, Chair