STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2362

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2440

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2440 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 appropriate funds for the establishment of a tree planting program, to be implemented by the Kaulunani urban and community forestry program within the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Forestry and Wildlife, including the establishment of a community partnership coordinator position.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Department of Land and Natural Resources, Trees for Honolulu's Future, Climate Protectors Coalition, 350 Hawaii, Apollo Kauai, and twenty-eight individuals.

Your Committee finds that trees are the State's strongest allies to address the climate crises. However, since western contact, Hawaii has lost nearly half of its native forest cover and the State's forests continue to be reduced by invasive species and wildfires. In recent years, Hawaii's cities have also experienced a dramatic decline in their urban tree cover, with Honolulu seeing a five per cent decline of its urban tree cover in a less than four-year period.

Your Committee further finds that Act 15, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018, among other things, set a goal for the State to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. A tree planting program will assist the State in reaching this goal. In 2016, urban trees in Hawaii were estimated to sequester four hundred ten thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually―equal to the annual emissions of eighty-nine thousand cars. However, state and county lands cannot accommodate all the necessary tree plantings needed to achieve carbon neutrality. Community partnerships are therefore essential to meet the goal of carbon neutrality and improve the quality of life in Hawaii for present and future generations.

Your Committee also finds that the Department of Land and Natural Resources has implemented the Kaulunani urban and community forestry program with support from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The United States Department of Agriculture grants approximately $200,000 annually for administering the state urban and community forestry program. The program supports statewide community-based, cost-share programs, including community-based tree planting projects. However, program funds are not sufficient to support all of the projects that seek funding, including a tree planting program. This measure appropriates money to establish a tree planting program so that there are sufficient funds to address the State's need for more trees.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2033, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2440, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2440, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

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KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair