STAND. COM. REP. NO.  760-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2503

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs and Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 2503 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to permit the use of lands in agricultural land use districts for agricultural-energy facilities when the production, storage, and distribution of renewable energy are integrated with an agricultural activity.

     The Maui County Farm Bureau, Land Use Research Foundation, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light Company testified in support of this bill.  Pacific West Energy LLC supported the intent of this measure.  The Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, Life of the Land, and the University of Hawaii Environmental Center provided comments.

     Your Committees have amended this bill by:

(1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2503, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2503, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs and Agriculture,

____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Chair

____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair