Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land, Energy and Environment and Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 2662, H.D. 1, entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purposes of this measure are to establish standards and criteria and a process for identification of important agricultural lands, to provide a one-time process to reclassify lands of low agricultural resource value to the rural land use district, and to amend the permissible uses within the rural land use district.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, and Land Use Commission. The City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference, The Estate of James Campbell, Grove Farm Company, Hawaii Reserves, Inc., Hawaii's Thousand Friends, and Sierra Club Hawai`i Chapter testified in opposition. The County of Hawaii Planning Department, Life of the Land, and two individuals submitted comments.

Your Committees find that growth in Hawaii's agricultural sector requires concerted efforts to reduce barriers to farming and to provide additional opportunities to those in the many sectors of the agricultural industry. Your Committees commend the considerable work and planning that has already been achieved in order to promote agricultural development and the protection of agricultural lands in an era when the industry is changing so greatly.

Your Committees remain concerned, however, about the processes and procedures as outlined in this measure. Your Committees have amended this measure to replace its contents with those of S.B. No. 2007, S.D. 1. As amended, this measure:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Energy and Environment and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2662, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2662, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.