Bill Text: HI SR127 | 2021 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting That The Office Of Planning, In Coordination With Each Executive Department, Identify Departmental Facilities And Infrastructure That May Be Vulnerable To Flooding And Other Impacts Of Sea Level Rise And Assess Options For Mitigating The Effects Of Sea Level Rise On Those Facilities And Infrastructure.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-21 - Certified copies of resolutions sent, 06-21-21. [SR127 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2021-SR127-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
127 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THAT THE OFFICE OF PLANNING, IN COORDINATION WITH EACH EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, IDENTIFY DEPARTMENTAL FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT MAY BE VULNERABLE TO FLOODING AND OTHER IMPACTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE AND ASSESS OPTIONS FOR MITIGATING THE EFFECTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE ON THOSE FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
WHEREAS, climate change and sea level rise pose significant, dangerous, and imminent threats to public safety and the State's social and economic wellbeing, natural resources and environments, cultural resources, property, infrastructure, and governmental functions; and
WHEREAS, low-income and otherwise vulnerable communities will likely be disproportionately impacted by climate change and sea level rise; and
WHEREAS, due to climate change, the chronic impacts of sea level rise, including coastal erosion, high tide flooding, and annual high wave flooding, are already impacting many low-lying coastal areas, and are predicted to increase in frequency and severity in the coming decades; and
WHEREAS, climate change and sea level rise will exacerbate the impacts of disaster events, including hurricanes, tsunamis, and other extreme rainfall and high-wave events; and
WHEREAS, in a 2017 report, the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projected that 3.2 feet of global mean sea level rise will occur by 2100 in an "intermediate" scenario and could occur as early as the 2060's in an "extreme" scenario; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission's Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report, the University of Hawaii's Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, and the Office of Planning's Hawaii statewide GIS program all provide relevant and best-available scientific assessment data showing the predicted effects to the State’s coastal areas of exposure to sea level rise; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii Hazard Mitigation Plan provides an expanded assessment of the natural hazards and potential impacts of disaster events related to climate change and sea level rise; and
WHEREAS, both the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report and State of Hawaii Hazard Mitigation Plan are consistent with the latest and best available sea level rise projections, including the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2017 report, and serve as key references for the State in assessing vulnerabilities and developing actions to improve resilience to the impacts of sea level rise and extreme climate events; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Office of Planning, in coordination with each executive department, is requested to:
(1) Identify existing and planned departmental facilities, including critical infrastructure facilities, that are vulnerable to flooding and other impacts of sea level rise using relevant natural hazard data and projections and map data from the most recent versions of, or updates to, the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report and State of Hawaii Hazard Mitigation Plan to make these identifications; and
(2) Assess options for mitigating the impacts of sea level rise to existing and planned departmental facilities and infrastructure, including flood-proofing and relocating the facilities and infrastructure, especially those facilities and infrastructure located in areas in which the conservation of beaches and coastal environments is desired; provided that the Office of Planning is also requested to:
(A) Coordinate resiliency actions with the appropriate county and federal agencies, affected communities, and the private sector; and
(B) Include in the Office of Planning's planning and investment decisions consideration of sea level rise adaptation and flooding and disaster resilience; identify and consider potential risks created by climate change; and employ full life-cycle cost accounting to evaluate and compare facility investments and alternatives; provided that:
(i) Priority should be given to nature-based disaster resilience, climate change adaptation solutions, and actions that enhance disaster resilience and climate change adaptation efforts; and
(ii) Actions taken should protect the State's most vulnerable populations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Planning is requested to submit a report to the Governor, Legislature, and Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report is requested to include vulnerability and adaptation assessments for each department's facilities and updates on each department's progress in implementing the Office of Planning's plans, programs, and capital improvement decisions regarding sea level rise and disaster resiliency; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Planning may designate employees of that department who possess relevant expertise to be responsible for engaging in capacity-building efforts within the department and collaborating with the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission to improve interagency coordination for sea level rise adaptation and flooding and disaster resilience; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Comptroller; Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; Attorney General; Director of Finance; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Adjutant General; Chairperson of the Board of Education; Superintendent of Education; Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission; Director of Health; Director of Human Resources Development; Director of Human Services; Director of Labor and Industrial Relations; Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Director of Public Safety; Director of Taxation; Director of Transportation; Director of the Office of Planning; and Co-Chairpersons of the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.
Sea Level Rise; State Facilities; State Infrastructure; Mitigation
