Bill Text: HI HB2038 | 2016 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Aloha+ Challenge; Natural Resource Management Goals; Clean Energy Goals; Green Workforce Goals; Appropriation ($)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-19 - Report adopted. referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Nakashima, Thielen, Tokioka excused (3). [HB2038 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2016-HB2038-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
2038 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016 |
H.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO THE ALOHA+ CHALLENGE.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
PART I
SECTION 1. In September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will hold the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, the first time it has been held in the United States. As the world looks to Hawaii to demonstrate leadership on conservation, the legislature finds that the State of Hawaii can serve as a global model to showcase sustainable management of natural resources from the summit to the sea.
Through the adoption of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 69, S.D. 1 (2014), the legislature endorsed and supported a shared statewide commitment to sustainability through the integrated approach and targets of the Aloha+ Challenge to be achieved by 2030.
The purpose of this Act is to provide funding to directly implement three of the six goals outlined in the Aloha+ Challenge: natural resource management, clean energy, and green workforce development. Funding these targets is essential to keep Hawaii‘s environment unique, improve the quality of life for Hawaii‘s residents and visitors, and maintain important revenue streams in Hawaii's economy. This Act will add local jobs and green workforce training opportunities, essential to the overall success of the Aloha+ Challenge.
PART II
SECTION 2. The legislature finds that in order to foster "A Culture of Sustainability -- He Nohona ‘Ae‘oia", Hawaii's residents and visitors need to enjoy and connect with the natural environment. Visiting natural areas cultivates respect and appreciation for Hawaii's natural and cultural heritage. Trails, public access, and other infrastructure need additional funding to connect residents and tourists to the natural environment.
Unfortunately, many trails and forested areas across the State are not accessible to the public because access has not been established or has been lost over time. Easements and access agreements can restore public use. Also, new public recreation areas need to be created through land acquisitions and cooperative management agreements that target both private and state lands.
The purpose of this part is to provide funds to the forest and outdoor recreation program in order to help connect residents and tourists to the natural environment.
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 to fund positions and other operating expenditures in the forest and outdoor recreation program (LNR804) for access, easements, trails, outdoor recreation improvements, environmental education, and other operating expenditures; provided that funds appropriated in this section may be transferred with the approval of the governor to the forest and outdoor recreation program (LNR804) in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2016 (Act , Session Laws of Hawaii 2016) for expenditure.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this part.
PART III
SECTION 4. Through Act 152, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, the legislature recognized that fresh water is not an infinite resource and its high quality, quantity, and sustainability depend upon forested watersheds. Similarly, in 2015, the Hawaii fresh water initiative's blueprint for action included forest protection as a major step needed for Hawaii's fresh water security.
Studies by the University of Hawaii's economic research organization have estimated that funding to protect forests in the Koolau mountains has a return of twenty to fifty times the investment. This return is based on the value of increased fresh water, a resource threatened by climate change.
Hawaii's watershed partnerships provide a framework for large-scale forest protection. These voluntary alliances of public and private landowners and managers cooperate to protect over two million acres of forests that supply almost all of the hundreds of millions of gallons of fresh water needed in Hawaii every year.
The purpose of this part is to, among other things, support the annual competitive grants process that has achieved more than a two to one ratio of non-state to state funding.
SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 to fund other operating expenditures in the natural area reserves and watershed management program (LNR407) for watershed protection; provided that funds appropriated in this section may be transferred with the approval of the governor to the natural area reserves and watershed management program (LNR407) in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2016 (Act , Session Laws of Hawaii 2016) for expenditure.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this part.
PART IV
SECTION 6. The legislature has affirmed on multiple occasions that the invasion of Hawaii by insects, disease-bearing organisms, snakes, weeds, and other pests is the single greatest threat to Hawaii's economy and natural environment and to the health and lifestyle of Hawaii's people. To fill gaps between departmental programs and support research and technology innovation, the legislature has provided funding to
the interagency Hawaii invasive species council, administered from within the native resources and fire protection program (LNR402) at the department of land and natural resources' division of forestry and wildlife, since fiscal year 2005.
The purpose of this part is to provide financial support for the departmental and interagency actions needed to mitigate the threats and impacts of invasive species.
SECTION 7. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 for the native resources and fire protection program (LNR402) to be expended as directed by the Hawaii invasive species council for invasive species programs statewide; provided that portions of this appropriation may be transferred to other state departments to implement the directions of the Hawaii invasive species council; provided further that funds appropriated in this section may be transferred with the approval of the governor to the native resources and fire protection program (LNR402) in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2016 (Act , Session Laws of Hawaii 2016) for expenditure.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department
of land and natural resources for the purposes of this part.
PART V
SECTION 8. The legislature finds that Hawaii's native species are crucial to the cultural and ecological identity of the islands and provide significant sources of revenue for the State through tourism, while providing for the functioning of our unique ecosystems. Hawaii's four hundred forty-eight federally listed endangered plant and wildlife species are globally important, as well as essential for the preservation of the native Hawaiian culture. Since ancient times, native Hawaiians have regarded these species as elders and ancestors, and used them for medicines, offerings, and other material needs. As Nainoa Thompson of the Polynesian Voyaging Society was once quoted, "Each time we lose another Hawaiian plant or bird or forest, we lose a living part of our ancient culture."
The purpose of this part is to fund the intensive research and management necessary to protect, recover, and restore these species.
SECTION 9. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 to fund positions and other operating expenditures in the native resources and fire protection program (LNR402) for native species restoration; provided that funds appropriated in this section may be transferred with the approval of the governor to the native resources and fire protection program (LNR402) in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2016 (Act , Session Laws of Hawaii 2016) for expenditure.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this part.
PART VI
SECTION 10. Hawaii's forests defend against climate change by sequestering carbon, reducing erosion that stresses coral reefs, and supplying fresh water. For these reasons, the Hawaii greenhouse gas emissions reduction task force strongly recommends increasing opportunities for reforestation projects to meet targets of the Hawaii clean energy initiative. The intergovernmental panel on climate change also identified preventing deforestation as the largest and most immediate carbon stock impact in the short term.
The legislature finds that Hawaii's dependency on imported fuel drains the State's economy of billions of dollars each year. A stronger local economy depends on a transition away from imported fuels and toward renewable local resources that provide a secure source of clean, affordable energy.
Through Act 97, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, the legislature updated and extended Hawaii's clean energy initiative and renewable portfolio standards to ensure maximum long-term benefits to Hawaii's economy by setting a goal of one hundred per cent renewable by 2045. This goal ensures that Hawaii moves beyond its dependence on imported fuels and continues to grow local renewable energy industries, including increasing new markets and forest biomass to energy projects.
There are a variety of opportunities for renewable energy and unique revenue generation projects on forest reserve system lands that will strengthen the State's economy while supporting long-term conservation goals through improved forest management. One such project is to engage one or more of the carbon markets, which will not only improve forest biodiversity habitat, watershed protection, and increase recreational opportunities, but also provide an ongoing revenue stream that can be used for ongoing forest conservation needs. Additionally, many of Hawaii's state lands have been invaded by aggressive plants that have severely altered the ecosystem and left many forests dangerously susceptible to wildfires.
The purpose of this part is to encourage partnerships between public and private landowners, through which forested areas will be assessed for hazardous vegetation fuel loads and prioritized for forest improvement activities, such as the reduction of heavy fuel loads, forest thinning, and reforestation with native species where possible. This effort will also generate revenues through the sale of forest products, with the funds being put directly back into forest conservation. All funds will be used to leverage federal and non-state funds.
SECTION 11. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2016-2017 to fund positions and other operating expenditures in the forestry resource management and development program (LNR172) for forest reserve system management, including pre-fire suppression of high-fuel areas; private landowner assistance programs; the establishment of renewable energy projects with forest biomass; and the generation of new forestry revenue streams, such as through the carbon market; provided that funds appropriated in this section may be transferred with the approval of the governor to the forestry resource management and development program (LNR172) in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2016 (Act , Session Laws of Hawaii 2016) for expenditure.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this part.
PART VII
SECTION 12. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.
Report Title:
Aloha+ Challenge; Natural Resource Management Goals; Clean Energy Goals; Green Workforce Goals; Appropriation
Description:
Appropriates funds for the natural resource management, clean energy, and green workforce goals of the Aloha+ Challenge. (HB2038 HD2)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
