Bill Text: HI SCR123 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Land And Natural Resources To Convene A Working Group To Make Recommendations On Solutions To Reduce Wildfire Risk And The Feasibility Of Establishing A Vegetation Management Program As It Relates To Landowners And Public Utilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2024-04-15 - Report adopted. referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Ganaden, Garcia, Hashem, Holt, Poepoe, Yamashita excused (7). [SCR123 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-SCR123-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	123
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the Department of Land and Natural Resources to convene a working group to MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS on solutions to reduce wildfire risk and the FEASIBILITY of establishing a vegetation management program as it relates to landowners and public utilities.

 

 

     WHEREAS, on August 8, 2023, catastrophic wildfires swept through various communities on Maui; and

 

     WHEREAS, the wildfires impacted human life and the community, housing, education, economy, and health of Maui residents; and

 

     WHEREAS, the presence of grasses, trees, and other vegetation adjacent to or under electric utility lines poses a significant risk to fire safety; and

 

     WHEREAS, the House of Representatives, in response to the August 2023 Maui wildfires, established six interim working groups charged with evaluating specific topics related to the wildfire and making recommendations for specific legislative action; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Wildfire Prevention Working Group, one of the six aforementioned working groups, found that people are the primary drivers of wildfires in Hawaii, as ninety-nine percent of wildfires are caused by human ignitions; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Wildfire Prevention Working Group also found that guinea grass, fountain grass, molasses grass, and buffelgrass can form continuous fuel beds, ignite easily, attain extremely high fine fuel loads, and are capable of growing back more vigorously in the post-fire environment than the majority of native vegetation; and

 

     WHEREAS, utility companies in the State have miles of utility lines installed throughout the State on government and private land including within the public rights of way and mountainous areas of the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, a significant portion of the aforementioned public and private lands are covered in unmanaged grasses, trees, and other vegetation that may pose a wildfire risk; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to convene a working group to make recommendations on solutions to reduce wildfire risk and the feasibility of establishing a vegetation management program as it relates to landowners and public utilities; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to study the need for policy, regulation, and guidance pertaining to the management of and responsibility for vegetation on public and private lands for wildfire mitigation purposes; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to study, evaluate, and make recommendations regarding regulations that define property owner obligations to perform vegetation management on public and private property for wildfire mitigation purposes; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to consist of the following members:

 

     (1)  Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources or the Chairperson's designee who is requested to serve as the chairperson of the working group;

 

     (2)  A representative from the Senate, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;

 

     (3)  A representative of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

 

     (4)  Director of Transportation, or the Director's designee;

 

     (5)  Chair of the Public Utilities Commission, or the Chair's designee;

 

     (6)  A representative of the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, whose purview includes the Public Utilities;

 

     (7)  Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, or the Mayor's designee;

 

     (8)  Mayor of the County of Maui, or the Mayor's designee;

 

     (9)  Mayor of the County of Hawaii, or the Mayor's designee;

 

    (10)  Mayor of the County of Kauai, or the Mayor's designee;

 

    (11)  A representative of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council;

 

    (12)  One member representing cooperative electric utilities, to be invited by the chairperson of the working group;

 

    (13)  One member representing privately-owned electric utilities, to be invited by the chairperson of the working group; and

 

    (14)  A landowner that owns over one thousand acres of land, to be invited by the chairperson of the working group; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to dissolve on June 30, 2025; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Director of Transportation; Chair of the Public Utilities Commission; Executive Director of the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Mayors of the City and County of Honolulu, County of Maui, County of Hawaii, and County of Kauai; Co-Chairs of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council; President of the Land Use Research Foundation; President and Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiian Electric; President and Chief Executive Officer of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative; President of Maui Electric Company, Limited; and President of Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

 

 

 

Report Title: 

Legislature, Department of Land and Natural Resources, the County of Maui, the County of Hawaii, the County of Kauai, Fire Preservation, Working Group, Utilities, Landowners