Bill Text: HI SB487 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To The Establishment Of An Ecosystem Restoration Commission.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-12-10 - Carried over to 2022 Regular Session. [SB487 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2022-SB487-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
487 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION COMMISSION.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that as part of the green new deal-Hawaii initiative, the State has an interest in maintaining and restoring its lands so that they are in a safe and healthy condition for the benefit of all who reside or come to Hawaii. The legislature finds that remediation and restoration of contaminated or otherwise hazardous lands is a priority of the State.
The legislature finds that the human-induced global climate crisis requires a thoughtful but bold response on many fronts to make Hawaii communities resilient to the impacts of climate change that threaten the very survivability of these fragile islands. Lest Hawaii lose its leadership position in meeting the future of labor, justice, and equity, the legislature embraces aloha aina as a green new deal to decarbonize Hawaii's systems of food, energy, and transportation, and to sequester carbon through systems of agriculture, waste management, and ecosystem restoration. This solid foundation finds synergies with expanded access to health, housing, and education, multiplying good jobs and ensuring justice and equity for Hawaii's citizens. This Act represents a forward step in mitigating and adapting Hawaii to inevitable change.
Many properties on the islands of Hawaii are
under federal ownership or control and are being, or have been, used as military
facilities. The legislature finds that such
use has resulted in contamination to the water and soil on and adjacent to many
of these properties, or that there exist more immediate hazards, such as the presence
of unexploded ordnance. Immediate action
in the form of an ecosystem restoration commission is needed in anticipation of
the upcoming expiration of land leases between the State and the United States government.
The purpose of this Act is to establish an ecosystem
restoration commission to oversee the return of state lands leased to the federal
government.
SECTION 2. (a) There is established an ecosystem restoration commission within the department of land and natural resources for administrative purposes. The ecosystem restoration commission shall consist of at least twelve members who shall be nominated and appointed in accordance with section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes. The commission shall consist of the following members:
(1) The chair of the board of
land and natural resources, or the chair's designee, who shall serve as the chair
of the ecosystem restoration commission;
(2) The
director of the department of health or that director's designee;
(3) The
chairs of the legislature's standing committees with relevant subject matter jurisdiction
encompassing environmental protection and restoration as determined by each house
of the legislature;
(4) One
representative from each of the four counties who shall be selected by the mayor
of that representative's county;
(5) At
least one representative from an organization dedicated to the remediation and prevention
of military debris and site contamination or degradation;
(6) At
least one representative from a Hawaiian organization dedicated to preserving native
Hawaiian traditional and cultural practices, and preventing the desecration of the
environment;
(7) A
representative from the United States military; and
(8) A
representative from the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
(b) The ecosystem restoration commission shall:
(1) Create and maintain an inventory of all lands in the State where the federal government claims ownership or control, including a database of relevant leases and their expiration dates;
(2) Identify and evaluate any and all environmental damage to and any required remediation efforts for the inventoried lands;
(3) Identify which lands are appropriate for continued set-aside to the United States government;
(4) Negotiate with the appropriate federal agencies for the return of ownership and control and the environmental remediation of parcels of property still under the ownership or control of the federal government;
(5) Ensure that administrative control over all property and property interests transferred from the federal government to the State shall be given to an appropriate state, county, or other entity; and
(6) Make recommendations for future use and environmental remediation of each property.
(c) The ecosystem restoration commission shall submit an annual report on all its activities and findings pursuant to subsection (b) to the governor and legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session.
(d) The ecosystem restoration commission shall initiate negotiations, pursuant to subsection (b)(4), with a set of requests and demands made to a representative of the United States military who is charged with negotiations on behalf of the United States. The ecosystem restoration commission shall submit the requests and demands to the representative no later than January 1, 2022. The ecosystem restoration commission shall initiate a new round of negotiations with an updated set of requests and demands each year for ten years.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval, and shall be repealed on June 30, 2032.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Ecosystem Restoration Commission; Remediation of Military-Use Lands; Green New Deal-Hawaii Initiative
Description:
Establishes an ecosystem restoration commission to identify federally owned or controlled lands within Hawaii for environmental remediation and the return of ownership and control of those lands to the State.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
