Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 1173 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to repeal the Hawaii Environmental Disclosure Law.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Environmental Quality Control and the University of Hawaii at Manoa Environmental Center.

Your Committee finds that this law was passed in 1982 to alert the public to major corporate changes that might affect Hawaii's environment, land use, jobs, and economy. In the past eighteen years, only twelve of the environmental disclosure statements required by this law have been filed, and only one has been filed in the last ten years.

Your Committee further finds that there are other mechanisms in place to notify the public of proposed changes that may affect the environment and land use, and that this law is no longer needed.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1173 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.