STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1913

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 660

 

 

 

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 Governor's Message No. 660, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

 

Commission on Water Resource Management

 

G.M. No. 660

LAWRENCE MIIKE,

for a term to expire 06-30-2027,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by Lawrence Miike for service on the Commission on Water Resource Management. 

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Lawrence Miike from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, and four individuals. 

 

     Upon review of the testimony, your Committee finds that Dr. Miike's background, experience, and dedication to community service qualify him to be appointed to the Commission on Water Resource Management.  Previously, Dr. Miike was a member of the Commission in his ex-officio capacity as the former Director of Health from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2004 to 2012 as a member with substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian water resource management techniques and in traditional Hawaiian riparian usage.  Between these two periods, Dr. Miike published his acclaimed book, Water and the Law in Hawai‘i (University of Hawaii Press 2004), which covers the laws governing the balance between water preservation and use, the science of aquifers and streams, and the customs and traditions practiced by ancient and present-day Hawaiians on the land and in the water.  Further, Dr. Miike was a member of the Commission when it addressed its first major water issue under the State Water Code in 1995, which involved the Waihole Ditch System, a major irrigation infrastructure on Oahu supplying the island's leeward side with water diverted from its windward side.  During his tenure as a Commission member, Dr. Miike was involved in many other significant water disputes, including two major cases on Maui.  Dr. Miike received his Medical Degree from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and his Juris Doctorate from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law. 

 

     Your Committee finds that Dr. Miike, with his extensive background in law, water rights, and traditional Hawaiian water resource management techniques and usage, possesses the requisite qualifications to serve once again on the Commission on Water Resource Management.  Your Committee finds that Dr. Miike has the subject matter expertise in the unique combination of fields specifically relevant to the work of the Commission, making Dr. Miike especially well-suited to the position.  Your Committee further notes Dr. Miike's lifelong dedication to public service and acknowledges his willingness to volunteer for the Commission for a third time, noting Dr. Miike's testimony that there is still much work left to do.  Your Committee believes Dr. Miike's substantial institutional knowledge will greatly enhance the work of the Commission as it grapples with the many issues surrounding Hawaii's most vital natural resource.  Your Committee finds that Dr. Miike has a thorough understanding of the role and responsibilities of Commission members and therefore recommends that Lawrence Miike be appointed to the Commission on Water Resource Management based on his knowledge, experience, and commitment to public service.

 

     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, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair