THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	56
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

CONVENING A TASK FORCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS, DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM, AND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, TO IDENTIFY AVAILABLE STATE LANDS TO RELOCATE RESIDENTS IN PUNA AND PAHOA as a result of the LAVA FLOW FROM THE KILAUEA VOLCANO ERUPTION.

     WHEREAS, the Kilauea volcano began erupting in 1983 and continues to spew lava; and

     WHEREAS, the east rift of Kilauea began erupting in early 2007, posing a foreseeable near term threat to residents of Puna and Pahoa; and

     WHEREAS, instead of going south to the ocean, as it did for the past twenty-five years, lava has flowed to the northeast, toward thousands of homes and at least 10,000 residents; and

     WHEREAS, the lava flow corrected itself on November 21, 2007, to swing back to the south; and

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has the statutory responsibility to "manage and administer the public lands of the State . . . and all water and coastal areas of the State", under section 26-15(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, and has its Bureau of Conveyances to identify the ownership of all lands; and

     WHEREAS, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has control over available lands as provided in section 204 of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920; and

     WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture has the responsibility under section 26-16, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for the agricultural resources of the State, including farming; and

     WHEREAS, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, through its Land Use Commission, has an inventory of all classified lands; and

     WHEREAS, there exists public lands that are available and suitable to temporarily provide shelter for residents of Puna and Pahoa who are or may soon become displaced by the Kilauea volcano lava flow; and

     WHEREAS, those public lands must be identified in advance of any emergency necessitating the evacuation of Big Island residents; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to convene a task force that includes the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, to identify available state lands on the Big Island to relocate residents of Puna and Pahoa as a result of the Kilauea volcano lava flow; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than November 1, 2008; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the Governor, and the Mayor of the County of Hawaii.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

State Lands; Displaced Residents of Kilauea Volcano