STAND. COM. REP. NO. 363

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1475

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1475 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PORT INFRASTRUCTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to create a strategic plan for maintenance dredging of important port and harbor locations and report the plan to the Legislature; and

(2) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to complete a minimum of two projects identified in the strategic plan.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that maintenance dredging is critical to the maintenance of small boat harbors, channels, ramps, and other port infrastructure in the State. However, under the current system, the necessary funding and permitting for maintenance dredging are not secured until the need for dredging becomes critical. Your Committee finds that this disorganized process can exacerbate the poor conditions at small boat harbors, allowing marine sediment and foreign debris to accumulate to shallow depths that can damage the hulls of ships or cause a shutdown of the affected sites, which are important for recreation and subsistence fishing and use by the general public.

Your Committee finds that creating a strategic plan for maintenance dredging of small boat harbors, channels, ramps, and other port infrastructure in the State will spread resources based on actual need and allow ample time for permitting and public input before port infrastructure reaches a critical need. Therefore, this measure requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to create a strategic plan for maintenance dredging of important port and harbor locations, report the plan to the Legislature, and require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to complete a minimum of two projects identified in the strategic plan.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a blank appropriation amount for maintenance dredging; and

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion;

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. 1475, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1475, 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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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair