STAND. COM. REP. NO. 428-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1545

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water & Land and Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1545 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADAPTATION PATHWAYS PLANNING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to enable and encourage state and county agencies to engage in and implement long-term adaptation pathways planning, together with affected communities, to facilitate natural-resource conservation and reduce the loss of public and private infrastructure to damage associated with sea level rise and flooding by:

(1) Requiring the Department of Land and Natural Resources, in coordination with appropriate state and county agencies, to prepare plans to facilitate implementation of adaptation measures, including modification and ultimate relocation of development and infrastructure away from certain at-risk areas; and

(2) Appropriating funds for this purpose.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission; University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program and Climate Resilience Collaborative; one member of the Maui County Council; Surfrider Foundation - Hawaiʻi Region; and one individual. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaiʻi Hotel Alliance and Starn O'Toole Marcus & Fisher.

Your Committees find that this measure complements existing efforts to address coastal hazards and adaptation planning.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the definition of "adaptation pathways plan";

(2) Modifying the measures that adaptation pathways may include;

(3) Modifying the scope of the sea level rise adaptation pathways plan;

(4) Requiring the Department of Land and Natural Resources, in preparing adaptation pathways plans, to ensure that plans that include armoring to prevent the loss of public infrastructure shall be time-limited;

(5) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(6) 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 Water & Land and Energy & Environmental Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1545, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1545, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water & Land and Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair

____________________________ LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair