Bill Text: HI HR82 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Resolution 82 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Requesting The Office Of Planning And Sustainable Development's Environmental Review Program To Form A Task Force To Recommend User-friendly Improvements To The Program's Website.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-2)

Status: (Passed) 2022-03-31 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HR82 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2022-HR82-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	82
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE office of planning and sustainable development's ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROGRAM TO FORM A TASK FORCE TO RECOMMEND USER-FRIENDLY IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PROGRAM'S WEBSITE.

WHEREAS, the State, stakeholders, and public all benefit when the environmental review process is transparent and open to participation; and

WHEREAS, currently, the public is often unaware of pending projects until a final determination is made on an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement and the opportunity for public comment has passed; and

WHEREAS, although the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development's Environmental Review Program maintains a website that informs the public of pending environmental impact statements and environmental assessments, the website is not user-friendly, making the information difficult to access; and

WHEREAS, to encourage public participation in the environmental review process, the program's website may benefit from a notification system, an easily-accessible means of submitting comments, a well-organized and searchable database of environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, and other user-friendly features; now, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, that the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development's Environmental Review Program is requested to form a task force to recommend user-friendly improvements to the program's website; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is also requested to offer guidance on selecting documents and steps of the environmental review process to be posted on the program's website to best encourage public participation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Planning and Sustainable Development is requested to select and invite the following members to participate on the task force:

(1) Two representatives from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development;

(2) Two representatives from the Environmental Advisory Council;

(3) The Chief Information Officer of the Office of Enterprise Technology Services or the Chief Information Officer's designee; and

(4) One representative from the Sierra Club; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation and the estimated cost of the proposed website updates, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Chair of the Environmental Advisory Council, and the Chief Information Officer of the Office of Enterprise Technology Services.