STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1691

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 560
                                     S.D. 1
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ocean Recreation and Marine Resources, to
which was referred S.B. No. 560, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to:

     (1)  Define "substantial adverse environmental or ecological
          effect" as it relates to special management areas to
          ensure that long-term incremental degradation of
          natural resources is halted; and

     (2)  Establish the definitions of "baseline," "resource,"
          and "scenic resource" to further clarify the intent of
          Part II of Chapter 205A, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
          relating to special management areas.

     The Department of Business, Economic Development, and
Tourism, the Department of Health, Kamehameha Schools Bishop
Estate, and the Sierra Club testified in support of this measure.
The City and County of Honolulu and the Land Use Research
Foundation of Hawaii testified in opposition to the bill.  The
University of Hawaii's Environmental Center offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended the bill by redefining
"substantial adverse environmental or ecological effect" as:


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1691
                                 Page 2

 
     (1)  Irrevocable damage, degradation to, or loss of a
          resource found in an ahupua'a; or

     (2)  A statistically significant persistent increase to the
          baseline in levels of any of the water pollutants,
          water quality parameters, air pollutants, or noise
          decibel levels as identified in administrative rules.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ocean Recreation and Marine Resources that is
attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the
intent and purpose of S.B. No. 560, S.D. 1, as amended herein,
and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as S.B. No. 560, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be placed on the
calendar for Third Reading.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Ocean Recreation
                                   and Marine Resources,



                                   ______________________________
                                   Roy M. Takumi, Chair