STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3657

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     H.B. No. 2106

        H.D. 3

        S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2106, H.D. 3, entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Environmental Council to adopt and maintain rules requiring that environmental assessments and environmental impact statements include consideration of sea level rise based upon the best available scientific data.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of Planning, Organizing for Action, 350Hawaii.org, the Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Malama O Puna, and one concerned individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that requiring consideration of sea level rise in environmental assessments and environmental impact statements will help to ensure that land use proposals both mitigate the effects of sea level rise and adopt designs to avoid costly future renovation necessitated by environmental disruption.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Making a technical nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of consistency and style; and

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2106, H.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2106, H.D. 3, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair