STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1546-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.C.R. No. 212

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs and Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 212 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO CONDUCT A THOROUGH EVALUATION OF THE CONDITION OF THE 187-ACRE PROPERTY SITUATED IN WAIKANE VALLEY THAT WAS USED BY THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS FOR ORDNANCE TRAINING UNTIL 1976, PLAN FOR AND CONDUCT AS THOROUGH A CLEAN-UP AND REMOVAL OF ORDNANCE AS IS TECHNOLOGICALLY POSSIBLE, CONDUCT AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL RISK TO HUMAN HEALTH AND SAFETY, AND RETURN THE LAND TO THE STATE OF HAWAII,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to ensure that a 187-acre property in Waikane Valley on Oahu known as the Waikane Training Area (Area) used by the military for jungle and live ordnance training be cleaned up and returned to the State.

This measure requests the Federal Government to:

(1) Conduct a thorough evaluation of the condition of the Area;

(2) Conduct as thorough a clean-up of the Area as is technologically possible;

(3) Conduct a post-clean-up environmental assessment of the Area;

(4) Return the Area to the State; and

(5) Appropriate sufficient funds to plan for, implement, and complete the rehabilitation and transfer of the Area.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and three individuals testified in support of this measure.

Your Committees find that the United States Marine Corps has abandoned the Area due to safety concerns over the use of high explosives. Because it cannot certify the Area as being clear of unexploded ordnance, the military is considering erecting a security fence to permanently close the Area to the general public.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs and Public Safety and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 212 and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs and Public Safety and Military Affairs,

____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair		____________________________ EZRA R. KANOHO, Chair