HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

135

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

Requesting the office of planning to convene a task force to develop an action plan to incorporate sustainable NATURAL RESOURCE development objectives and goals in the hawaii state planning act.

 

WHEREAS, the Brundtland report, commissioned by the United Nations, defines sustainable natural resource development as: "Development that maintains and/or enhances economic opportunity and community well-being while protecting and restoring the natural environment upon which peoples and economies depend. Sustainable natural resource development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that many communities around the world have come to see that the concept of sustainable natural resource development is crucial to the health of their future, that they can avoid choosing between economic prosperity and a quality environment, knowing both are necessary ingredients for their well being, and that their long-term futures must be taken into account, as their children will have to live with the effects of the decisions that are made in the present; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that in 1978, chapter 226, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Hawai‘i State Planning Act, was enacted to "increase the effectiveness of government and private actions, to improve coordination among different agencies and levels of government, to provide for wise use of Hawai‘i's resources and to guide the natural resource development of the State"; and

WHEREAS, under the Act, the Hawai‘i State Plan is to be defined by the following principles:

(1) Individual and family self-sufficiency;

(2) Social and economic mobility; and

(3) Community or social well being; and

WHEREAS, in a June 2003 article in the Hawaii Business News, former Governor George Ariyoshi declared that:

(1) Although Hawai‘i has done a decent job in preserving our resources in the midst of the demands of a growing, modern economy and society, our mechanisms for planning have either lost focus or fallen into disuse; and

(2) In the onslaught of anxiety over national security, the war in Iraq, as well as continuing worries in terms of the national and local economy, "there is less and less agreement about who we are, how we are to manage ourselves, and where we are going"; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that Hawai‘i is a unique and beautiful state that is considered by many to be the ideal place to live and second to none for providing a preferred quality of life; and

WHEREAS, to improve or maintain the quality of life in this State, the Legislature finds that planning the overall theme and goal of the State is important to our future success; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature believes that the time has come to review the precepts of the Hawai‘i State Plan to incorporate fundamental components of community planning, including many quality of life issues such as water quality, air quality, land use, energy, and ocean resources, that are important to the people of our great State and should be the focus for planning for the future; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the concept of sustainable development of natural resources will be invaluable in the construction of a new state plan for Hawai‘i; and

WHEREAS, a Hawai‘i plan for sustainable natural resource development should be all-inclusive, relying on participation by all segments of society and encouraging youth, private citizens, government leaders, and business interests to analyze actions and policies through lenses that are colored by concern for individual and community self reliance, the preservation of the environment, the overall well-being of the State, and sustainability in the future; and

WHEREAS, a Hawai‘i sustainable natural resource development initiative would frame priorities, help policy makers see where greater resources are needed, and help us think about the long-term effects and value of our actions; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that the State Office of Planning is requested to convene a sustainable natural resource development task force to develop an action plan to:

(1) Review and make recommendations on amending and implementing the Hawaii State Planning Act (Act) with the purpose of incorporating sustainable natural resource development at all levels of government; and

(2) Determine how to:

(A) Reframe the Act establishing a new set of goals based on sustainable development of natural resources;

(B) Develop new principles based on sustainable natural resource development to guide the State; and

(C) Gather data, technical, and other assistance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to include as members the following:

(1) One member from each house of the Legislature to be appointed by the presiding officer of each house;

(2) The Director of the State Office of Planning, or the Director's designee;

(3) The Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, or the Chairperson's designee;

(4) The Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, or the Chairperson's designee; and

(5) Three members from the University of Hawaii, with one appointed by the Environmental Center, one appointed by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and one appointed by the School of Architecture; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the sustainable natural resource development task force are encouraged to seek input from private citizens, university and high school students, business and non-profit organizations, the native Hawaiian community, the academic community, the media, and the county planning departments; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and the University of Hawaii are requested to assist the Office of Planning with staffing and other resources as may be required to prepare the action plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit the action plan to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Office of Planning; the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the President of the University of Hawaii, and the Mayor of each county.

Requesting Office of Planning convene a sustainable natural resource development task force to develop an action plan