Report Title:

Agribusiness; Permitting; Important Agricultural Lands

Description:

Requires any applicable agency issuing permits to establish and implement procedures to give priority processing of permit applications and renewals for agricultural processing facilities that process crops or livestock from an agribusiness with a majority of the lands held, owned, or used by the agribusiness identified and designated as important agricultural lands.  (SD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1640
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to permits.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  Chapter 205, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part III to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§205-   Agricultural processing facilities; permits; priority. (a)  Any applicable agency subject to this chapter or title 13 that issue permits shall establish and implement a procedure for the priority processing of permit applications and renewals, at no additional cost to the applicant, for agricultural processing facilities that process crops or livestock from an agribusiness with a majority of the lands held, owned, or used by the agribusiness, identified and designated as important agricultural lands pursuant to this part, excluding lands held, owned, or used by the agribusiness in the conservation district.  Any priority permit processing procedure established pursuant to this section shall not imply or provide that any permit application filed under the priority processing procedure shall be automatically approved.

(b)  As used in this subsection, "agribusiness" means a business primarily engaged in the care and production of livestock, livestock products, poultry, poultry products, or apiary, horticultural, or floricultural products, or the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of crops or trees."

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 321, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§321-   Agricultural processing facilities; permits; priority. (a)  Any applicable agency subject to this chapter or title 19 that issue permits shall establish and implement a procedure for the priority processing of permit applications and renewals, at no additional cost to the applicant, for agricultural processing facilities that process crops or livestock from an agribusiness with a majority of the lands held, owned, or used by the agribusiness, identified and designated as important agricultural lands pursuant to this part, excluding lands held, owned, or used by the agribusiness in the conservation district.  Any priority permit processing procedure established pursuant to this section shall not imply or provide that any permit application filed under the priority processing procedure shall be automatically approved.

(b)  As used in this subsection, "agribusiness" means a business primarily engaged in the care and production of livestock, livestock products, poultry, poultry products, or apiary, horticultural, or floricultural products, or the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of crops or trees."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.