Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3116, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to regulate the discharge of graywater, other wastewater, and air emissions by commercial passenger vessels in the marine waters of the State.

Your Committee finds that this measure provides broad protection for Hawaii's ocean and air quality in regard to the cruise ship industry while being fair to cruise vessels by consolidating and respecting the patchwork of federal and international laws with which the vessels also must comply.

In addition, this measure rewards commercial passenger vessel owners and operators that practice exemplary sewage discharge management in the waters of the State and whose standards and discharges exceed federal standards for sewage discharges, with an unspecified percentage discounted from the environmental compliance fee.

Your Committee believes that Hawaii's ocean waters and air deserve statutory protection that is more stringent than the current Memorandum of Understanding between the State and the NorthWest Cruise Ship Association, which simply relies on the honor system for all parties. This measure provides quantifiable standards with which vessels must comply and removes the burden and public skepticism of relying completely on self-policing by the cruise ship industry.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3116, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3116, S.D. 2.