STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1535

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 335, 336, 337, 338

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 335, 336, 337, and 338, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Environmental Council

 

G.M. No. 335

DAVID ATKIN,

for a term to expire 6-30-2011;

 

G.M. No. 336

DAVID SPENCER BYLUND,

for a term to expire 6-30-2011;

 

G.M. No. 337

CHESTER ISAMU SAITO,

for a term to expire 6-30-2011; and

 

G.M. No. 338

MARY STEINER,

for a term to expire 6-30-2011,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees, and finds Dr. David Atkin, David Spencer Bylund, Chester Isamu Saito, and Mary Steiner, to have the necessary qualifications to be nominated to the Environmental Council.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Dr. David Atkin's nomination from the Department of Health and the Environmental Council. 

 

     Dr. Atkin has a Doctorate in Ecology and Evolution from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University.  He has over twenty-five years of experience in environmental engineering in the public and private sectors and has been involved in over fifty infrastructure projects across the United States and many other countries.  Dr. Atkin is currently the Senior Supervising Environmental Planner/Certified Senior Project Manager/Senior Professional Associate at Parsons Brinkerhoff, where he has worked since 1987.  Prior to Parsons Brikerhoff, Dr. Atkin worked at the Natural Resources Defense Council, the New Jersey Department of Energy and as a Soros Associate.  He has extensive permitting and environmental studies experience in the areas of telecommunications, marine facilities, transit and transportation, water resources, and industrial and commercial projects.  He is also experienced in transportation planning.  Dr. Atkin has authored, co-authored, and presented numerous papers and studies on various topics relating to environmental engineering.  He is the current treasurer and a past president of the Hawaii Association of Environmental Professionals; a lecturer at the University of Hawaii, Department of Urban and Regional Planning; a volunteer with The Outdoor Circle; and has served for six months as an interim member of the Environmental Council, chairing the Legislative Committee.  Dr. Atkin's extensive experience in environmental engineering and in consulting make him highly qualified and valuable to the Council.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of David Spencer Bylund's nomination from the Department of Health; the Environmental Center at the University of Hawaii; the Environmental Council; the Strategic Industries Division of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and John M. Knox and Associates, Inc. 

 

     Mr. Bylund is currently serving in his first term on the Environmental Council, and is the current chair of the Annual Report Committee.  Mr. Bylund has a Master of Architecture from Columbia University and a Bachelor Degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering from Princeton University.  He is currently employed with Architects Hawaii, where he leads the Sustainable Design Initiative.  He has over twenty years of experience in the building design industry as an architectural designer in Hawaii, on the mainland, in Europe, and Asia.  His architectural project experiences span a variety of areas, including education, health care, recreation, resorts, residences, technology companies, financial industries, corporations, and master planning.  Mr. Bylund is on the board of directors of the Hawaii Society of Corporate Planners and the Honolulu Chapter of the American Institute of Architects; and he is the Sustainability Committee chair of the Hawaii District Council of the Urban Land Institute.  Mr. Bylund was a program chair of the Collaborative Process Institute; International Practice Committee chair of the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco Chapter; board member of Visual Aid; and a participant in the 2006 Supper Island beach clean up.  He is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, American Institute of Architects, and Urban Land Institute.  Mr. Bylund's extensive experience has been an asset to the Council.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Chester Isamu Saito's nomination from the Department of Health; General Contractors Association of Hawaii; Environmental Council; and the Strategic Industries Division of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. 

 

     Mr. Saito is currently serving his first term on the Environmental Council and has served as chair of the Exemption List Committee for the past year.  He has over thirty-seven years of experience in construction.  He is currently the Senior Project Engineer and Environmental Manager at the Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, where he has worked since 1990.  Mr. Saito has a Bachelor Degree of General Studies in Business Management from Chaminade University.  He is a member of the Association of General Contractors of America Environmental Network Steering Committee and Environmental Committee, of which he is a former chair.  Mr. Saito's experience and dedication has been an asset to the Council.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Mary Steiner's nomination from the Department of Health, Environmental Council, Outdoor Circl e, Kaulunani Urban and Community Forestry Program, and the Mestizo Association. 

 

     Ms. Steiner has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Outdoor Circle since 1992.  Her past employment includes serving as a development associate with the Center for Children and Families in Jamaica, New York; Public Affairs Coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Monmouth County, New Jersey; Director of Operations for IBF Group, Inc., of New York, New York; and Operations and Bond Fund Coordinator of Prudential Bache of New York, New York.  Her community experience includes serving on the Mayor's Arborist Advisory Committee of the City and County of Honolulu; a member of the Ka‘ulu‘nani Council, a division of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service; and a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  She is a registered lobbyist in the State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu.  Ms. Steiner has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Romance Languages with Honors from Stockton State College, a certificate in Hispanic Studies from the University of Madrid, and a Diploma from the Municipal Bond Club of New York School.  She is the recipient of the 2005 Unsung Hero Award of the Hawaii's Thousand Friends and has presented and published several papers relating to community advocacy, and trees.  Ms. Steiner has served as an interim member of the Environmental Council for the past six months and has been active with the Rules Committee.  Her experiences in community and government have been a great asset to the Council.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy and Environment,

 

 

 

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair