STAND. COM. REP. NO. 187-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1954

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness and Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1954 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO FUND A GRANT TO THE BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY FOR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, FUTURE PLANNING, AND GROUND WATER REMEDIATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to fund a grant to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply for emergency operations, future planning, and ground water remediation resulting from the contamination of the southern Oahu basal aquifer.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Life of the Land, Kauai Women's Caucus, 350Hawaii.org, Hawaii Interfaith Power and Light, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and eight individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Health, and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committees find that there is an immediate threat of contamination to Oahu's sole-source groundwater aquifer resulting from the 2021 fuel leak at the United States Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility. The release of fuel from the Red Hill facility has already caused the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to incur costs and take responsive action to address the potential impacts to Oahu's drinking water. The Board's ability to manage its resources has already been significantly impacted by the numerous episodic fuel releases from the Red Hill facility and bolstering resources for emergency operations, future planning, and remediation is therefore critically important for the Board and its customers. Your Committees therefore find that an emergency appropriation is necessary to assist the Honolulu Board of Water Supply's ongoing risk management activities.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to make reports to the Legislature on the Board's remediation efforts, expenditures of appropriated funds, and testing quality prior to the convening of the Regular Sessions of 2023, 2024, and 2025;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, 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 Health, Human Services, & Homelessness and Energy & Environmental Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1954, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1954, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Water & Land.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness and Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair