THE SENATE

KA AHA KENEKOA

 

THE THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2023

 

COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

Senator Mike Gabbard, Chair

Senator Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Vice Chair

 

COMMITTEE ON WATER AND LAND

Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Chair

Senator Brandon J.C. Elefante, Vice Chair

 

NOTICE OF HEARING

 

 

DATE:

Monday, January 30, 2023

TIME:

1:00 PM

PLACE:

Conference Room 224 & Videoconference

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

TIMESLOT:

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

 

PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL

BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY

Face masks are recommended while visiting the State Capitol and may be required in some offices.

Please refer to posted signage for guidance

 

These policies are subject to change and may be adjusted based on evolving COVID-19 guidelines.

Please check the Legislature’s website for updates www.capitol.hawaii.gov.

 

The Legislature is accepting written, videoconference, and in-person testimony at public hearings.

A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.

 

 

A G E N D A

 

SB 73

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL PARK LEASES.

Allows the Department of Agriculture to extend the agricultural park lease of any lessee who holds a lease with a remaining term of fifteen years or less; provided that the land covered by the lease is twenty-five acres or less and located in a county with a population of less than five hundred thousand.

 

AEN/WTL, WAM

SB 376

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

Prohibits the mining, extraction, and removal of minerals from the seabed in all state marine waters.  Prohibits the issuance of any permit for or in connection with the development or operation of any facility or infrastructure associated with the mining, extraction, or removal of minerals from the seabed within state marine waters.

 

AEN/WTL, JDC

SB 93

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO REUSE ZONES.

Requires nonpotable water users and developers within a certain distance of wastewater treatment plants to use R-1 water.  Appropriates funds.

 

AEN/WTL, WAM

SB 115

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO AQUACULTURE.

Establishes within the Department of Agriculture, an Aquacultural Area Lease Program for the purpose of identifying state facilities, state lands, and state marine waters that are suitable for use and lease as commercial aquacultural areas.  Allows agencies having control and management of identified aquacultural areas to lease the facilities, lands, and waters to the Department of Agriculture for the purposes of the Act.  Allows the program to use the moneys in the Aquaculture Development Special Fund to carry out the purposes of the Act and requires the revenues obtained from aquacultural area leases to be deposited into the Aquaculture Development Special Fund.  Imposes penalties and civil and criminal liabilities.  Exempts the program from being subject to the Hawaii Ocean and Submerged Lands Leasing Act.

 

AEN/WTL, JDC/WAM

SB 432

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE DESIGNATION OF HAWAII CORAL REEFS AS CRITICAL NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

Designates Hawaii coral reefs as critical natural infrastructure.

 

AEN/WTL

SB 505

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.

Prohibits the harvesting of aquatic life for commercial aquarium purposes, regardless of the method of collection.

 

AEN/WTL, JDC

SB 507

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO WETLAND PRESERVATION.

Adds definitions for "floodway", "natural stormwater infrastructure", and "wetlands" to section 343-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes.  Requires a proposed housing project of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation that is exempt from all statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and rules of any government agency relating to planning, zoning, and construction standards to ensure that the proposed project does not impact wetlands or natural stormwater infrastructure.  Requires an environmental assessment for actions under the environmental impact statements law that propose any development that would impact wetlands or natural stormwater infrastructure.

 

AEN/WTL, JDC/WAM

SB 86

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO FOOD SUSTAINABILITY.

Requires the Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, to prepare and periodically update the State Agriculture Functional Plan to include other agricultural economic updates, including seafood sustainability, that expand the State's priority on food by including wild seafood as a viable food source.  Requires the governor to submit the plan to the legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2025.

 

AEN/WTL, WAM

SB 84

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS.

Establishes the Sustainable Food Systems Working Group within the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to develop a plan for a more sustainable, resilient local food economy and to report to the Legislature.  Appropriates funds to establish the working group, develop the plan, and fund an unspecified number of sustainability specialist positions within the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development's Statewide Sustainability Program.

 

WTL/AEN, WAM

SB 71

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS.

Exempts the proposed drilling, construction, or use of a well and well appurtenances on lands leased from the Department of Agriculture from the requirements of the environmental impact statements law, provided that the land is being used to support agriculture and food production.

 

WTL/AEN, JDC/WAM

 

 

 

 

Decision Making to follow, if time permits.

 

All testimony received by the Hawai‘i Senate is posted on the Hawai‘i Legislature's website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information that you do not want disclosed to the public.

 

Please go to the Legislature's website, www.capitol.hawaii.gov, to submit written testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Create a free account on the website, or sign in to an existing account, then click on the "Participate" drop down menu and select the "Submit Testimony" option to get started. While submitting your written testimony, you will be prompted to indicate if you would also like to testify at the hearing in-person or remotely via videoconference.

 

Please note the following:

 

·         The number of oral testifiers and/or time allotted to each testifier may be limited by the Chair when necessary to adhere to the committee hearing schedule. We may not be able to accommodate everyone who requests to testify orally.

·         Testifiers for this hearing will be limited to 2 minutes each.

 

If you wish to testify via videoconference during the hearing, please review the detailed step-by-step instructions for testimony procedures before you submit your written testimony. Here's a direct link to the instructions: https://capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/testimonyinstructions.pdf

 

For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or [email protected]. You can also visit their website at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/.

 

For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you require other auxiliary aids or services to participate in the public hearing process (i.e., interpretive services (oral or written) or ASL interpreter), or are unable to submit testimony via the website due to a disability, please contact the committee at [email protected] at least 24 hours prior to the hearing.

 

For amended notices: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored.  If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT (808) 586-6830.

 

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Lorraine R. Inouye

Chair

 

_____________________________________

Senator Mike Gabbard

Chair