STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 426
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2021
RE: H.B. No. 243
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2021
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Water & Land and Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 243 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEA LEVEL RISE ADAPTATION,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to
coordinate state responsibilities for executive branch departments in
addressing climate change and sea level rise adaptation by requiring each
department to:
(1) Identify existing and planned facilities that are vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding impacts, and natural hazards;
(2) Assess options for mitigation impacts of sea level rise to existing and planned facilities;
(3) Establish staff level points of contact to improve interagency coordination for sea level rise adaptation, flooding, and resilience; and
(4) Submit annual reports to the Governor, Legislature, and Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.
Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure
from the Department of Accounting and General Services, Hawaii Climate Change
Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, Hawai‘i
Reef and Ocean Coalition, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i,
Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i,
and three individuals.
Your Committees find that climate
change and sea level rise pose significant, dangerous, and imminent threats to
the State's social and economic well-being, public safety, nature and
environments, cultural resources, property, infrastructure, and government
functions and will likely have a disproportionate impact on low-income and
otherwise vulnerable communities.
Chronic impacts of sea level rise, including coastal erosion, high tide
flooding, and annual high wave flooding, are already impacting many low-lying
coastal areas and are predicted to increase in extent and severity in the
coming decades. This measure requires
the State to prepare for sea level rise by utilizing the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability
and Adaptation Report and State of Hawaii Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Your Committees have amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying that each department shall utilize the latest projections and map data endorsed by the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission and State of Hawaii Hazard Mitigation Plan in their identification of existing and planned facilities;
(2) Changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water & Land and Energy & Environmental Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 243, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 243, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water & Land and Energy & Environmental Protection,
____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair |
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____________________________ DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair |
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