STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2447
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2745
S.D. 1
Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui
President of the Senate
Twenty-Sixth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2012
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Energy and Environment and Water, Land, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2745 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENT,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to add priority guidelines to the Hawaii State Planning Act, chapter 226, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to address the expected impacts of climate change.
Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Planning, Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu, University of Hawai‘i School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, Building Industry Association, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, The Nature Conservancy, Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy, and Marine and Coastal Zone Advocacy Council. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Windward Ahupua‘a Alliance.
Your Committees find that climate change is a serious threat to the State of Hawaii and its people, natural resources, economy, food and water security, and public infrastructure. Adding climate change priority guidelines to the Hawaii State Planning Act will provide the basis for climate change considerations in all state and county planning, the necessary authority for agencies to commit resources, and a statewide framework to guide state and county agencies, as well as other stakeholders, in reducing Hawaii's vulnerability and increasing resilience to the effects of climate change.
Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environment and Water, Land, and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2745, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2745, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environment and Water, Land, and Housing,
____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair |
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____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair |
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