STAND. COM. REP. NO. 174

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 417

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. 417 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a Hawaii Near Shore Waters Quality Program to monitor and test for the quality of waters near coral reefs to assess and ensure the health of reef ecosystems.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii State Aha Moku, Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that coral reefs provide habitat for nearshore fisheries, protect coasts from waves and storms, and support tourism and fishing industries. In a recent report by the United States Geological Survey, Hawaii's coral reefs were valued at $863,000,000 per year. Your Committee further finds, however, that Hawaii's coral reefs have experienced bleaching events due to, among other causes, the temperature effects of climate change, population density, increased coastal development, land-based sources of pollution, increased sediments in the water, damage by tourists and divers, poor water quality from runoff, and sewage treatment. Your Committee finds that it is necessary to take action to protect and care for the ecological health of Hawaii's coral reefs. Therefore, this measure establishes a Hawaii Near Shore Waters Quality Program to monitor and test for the quality of waters near coral reefs to assess and ensure the health of reef ecosystems.

Your Committee has heard the testimony of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, expressing concerns that a program consistent with this measure would need to be built from the ground up and thus require a large investment of resources for staff, facilities, and training. The Department of Land and Natural Resources testified that while they are supportive of expanding water quality monitoring for coral reef health, the necessary first step is to commission a study and technical report to discover what is currently known, to identify the most useful measurement parameters, and recommend sampling frequency and locations.

Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the proposed requirement that the Department of Land and Natural Resources establish a Hawaii Near Shore Waters Quality Program, including language establishing the proposed program's requirements;

(2) Requiring the Department of Land and Natural Resources, in consultation with the Department of Health, to prepare a study and submit a technical report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2025;

(3) Inserting language establishing the scope and requirements of the report to be submitted to the Legislature;

(4) Appropriating an unspecified amount for fiscal year 2023-2024 for preparation of the report; and

(5) 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. 417, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 417, 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