STAND. COM. REP. NO. 424-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2479

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2479 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE TAKING OF MARINE DEPOSITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the taking of sand, dead coral or coral rubble, rocks, soil, and other marine deposits seaward of the shoreline through special activity permits approved by the Department of Land and Natural Resources for research, education, management, or propagation purposes.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from For the Fishes. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Malama Pupukea-Waimea.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Land and Natural Resources regularly receives permit requests for the collection of select amounts of dead coral and coral rubble, sand, or other marine deposits from state waters for various research, education, management, or propagation purposes. Your Committee notes that the Department is not authorized to approve these permit requests because existing law does not allow for the taking of these resources for those purposes. Your Committee believes that allowing the taking of sand, dead coral, coral rubble, rocks, soil, and other marine deposits for certain purposes will lead to important findings by legitimate research projects in the fields of geology, chemistry, biology, and climate science.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

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

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2479, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2479, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair