THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              35
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING A STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING AN
    ENVIRONMENTAL HOTLINE TO BE KNOWN AS AINA-911.
 


 1        WHEREAS, Hawaii's economic revitalization and long-term
 2   stability depends upon a clean and healthy environment; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, environmental laws exist on the federal, state,
 5   and county levels to protect the health and welfare of the
 6   citizens of Hawaii and maintain the health of Hawaii's
 7   ecosystem; and
 8   
 9        WHEREAS, specifically, there are at least thirteen offices
10   in the Environmental Health Administration of the Department of
11   Health that are responsible for monitoring some aspect of the
12   State's environmental protection laws, the Department of
13   Agriculture is responsible for monitoring the use of herbicides
14   and pesticides, the Department of Land and Natural Resources is
15   responsible for monitoring the health of the ecosystem, and
16   each county enacts ordinances relating to sewage, solid waste
17   disposal, and land use; and
18   
19        WHEREAS, members of the community needing information
20   regarding environmental protection laws, wishing to express
21   concerns about an environmental hazard, or reporting a possible
22   violation of environmental law face the daunting task of
23   ascertaining which is the appropriate agency to contact; and
24   
25        WHEREAS, in order to restore faith in government, it is in
26   the interest of the State to be more responsive to citizens and
27   encourage participation in government by providing a
28   streamlined method of interacting with government agencies; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, the State should take the lead in promoting
31   inter-agency coordination between federal, state, and county
32   agencies that are responsible for monitoring environmental laws
33   within the State; now, therefore,
34   
35        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
36   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, that the
37   Director of Health is requested to convene a meeting of leaders
38   in the area of environmental protection to consider:
39   

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              35
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        (1)  The feasibility of establishing a cost-effective,
 2             readily accessible system to respond to citizens'
 3             questions and complaints and offer an expedient means
 4             of reporting a possible violation of environmental
 5             laws, including the use of a twenty-four hour
 6             telephone hotline or a website, to be known as Aina-
 7             911;
 8   
 9        (2)  Protocols for responding to citizens' concerns or
10             questions, or possible violations of environmental
11             law that involve federal, state, and county agencies;
12             and
13   
14        (3)  Funding sources for the Aina-911 system;
15   
16   and
17   
18        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the meeting consist of
19   representatives from the following agencies and organizations:
20   
21        (1)  The Department of Agriculture;
22   
23        (2)  The Department of Land and Natural Resources;
24   
25        (3)  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pacific
26             Islands Contact Office; 
27   
28        (4)  The Mayor's office of each county; 
29   
30        (5)  The Environmental Center at the University of Hawaii
31             at Manoa; 
32   
33        (6)  Hawaii's Thousand Friends; 
34   
35        (7)  The Ahupua'a Action Alliance; 
36   
37        (8)  The Ilioulaokalani Foundation; 
38   
39        (9)  The Outdoor Circle; and 
40   
41        (10) The Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter; 
42   
43   and
44   
45        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health report
46   the findings of the meeting with recommended legislation to the

 
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 1   legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
 2   Regular Session 2000; and
 3   
 4        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 5   Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, the
 6   Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, the Chairperson of the
 7   Board of Land and Natural Resources,  the Manager of the U.S.
 8   Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Islands Contact Office,
 9   the Mayors of each county, the Director of the Environmental
10   Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii's Thousand
11   Friends, the Ahupua'a Action Alliance, Ilioulaokalani
12   Foundation, the Outdoor Circle, and the Sierra Club Hawaii
13   Chapter.
14   
15 
16 
17 
18                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________
19