HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	82
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

encouraging the hawaii tourism authority and the department of business, economic development, and tourism to DEDICATE funds to keep hawaii's beaches clean and sustainable.

     WHEREAS, the amount of permeable lands in Hawaii continues to decrease as more areas become developed with mostly impermeable concrete, which prevents rainfall from soaking into natural ground habitat, thus forcing waste and trash from the streets to eventually end up in Hawaii's oceans; and

     WHEREAS, each year millions of tourists visit Hawaii, especially our beaches, which have increasingly been littered with trash and waste that can carry diseases that in turn could develop into epidemics; and

     WHEREAS, trash and waste that are left on beaches also consists of recyclable and reusable items such as glass, plastic, and paper; and

     WHEREAS, nearly twenty-five per cent of Oahu's coastline has already been lost due to beach erosion caused by synthetic structures to "preserve" the shoreline; even more erosion has taken place on the Maui coastline due to external substances that starve beaches of their natural habitat; and

     WHEREAS, beach maintenance and beach sustainability are necessary components of keeping our beaches clean, preserving our shoreline, and ensuring that beaches continue to be an attraction for tourists to visit Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, most targeted beach clean up and maintenance efforts are undertaken by non-profit organizations, community service groups, and volunteers; and

     WHEREAS, in 2006, the Hawaii Tourism Authority spent $100,000 on marketing sports, many of which are water sports, and the Hawaii Tourism Authority is expected to increase its marketing expenditures; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature encourages the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to dedicate funds to clean, maintain, and sustain Hawaii's beaches; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the Chairperson of the Board of Natural Resources, and the Mayor of each county.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Beaches; Beach Clean Up; Beach Maintenance; HTA; DBEDT