STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2261

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3300

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 3300 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require county planning commissions, county councils, and designated authorities on coastal zone management to seek to minimize, where reasonable, any risk to development from sea level rise and other coastal hazards.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program and Climate Resilience Collaboration, Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, and three individuals.

Your Committees find that rising sea levels pose a serious and imminent threat to Hawaii's coastal communities and residents and to the State's natural resources; primarily, beaches and coastal systems. The State has an affirmative duty to preserve coastal resources as a public trust resource for the people of Hawaii, as healthy coastal ecosystems and beaches are both culturally important and provide natural resilience to sea level rise and associated coastal flooding. This measure will increase the resilience of Hawaii's coastal communities to sea level rise by minimizing, where reasonable, risk to development from sea level rise and other coastal hazards.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Authority shall seek to minimize, where reasonable, any development that would be under risk of sea level rise and other coastal hazards by locating development outside of the sea level rise exposure area or adapting development to accommodate sea level rise and other coastal hazards; provided that the sea level rise exposure area shall be as adopted by the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission or its successor; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3300, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3300, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair