Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 795 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect the shoreline areas of the state by establishing setbacks at a distance inland from the shoreline equal to 50 times the annual erosion rate for the area, based on historic aerial photographs or the shoreline setback line established by the county, whichever is greater.

The Environmental Center and the Sierra Club testified in support of this bill. The Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii and Department of Land and Natural Resources testified in opposition to this bill.

Your Committee finds that protecting the State's shoreline areas represents a vital concern for Hawaii. This bill would establish buffer zones to protect shoreline areas within 50 times the annual erosion rate.

Your Committee has amended this bill by deleting provisions that would have banned construction of new seawalls and groins after June 30,2005, except for those constructed by the Department of Transportation.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 795, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 795, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Transportation.