STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3572

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 117

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 117 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, LAND DIVISION, TO ASSEMBLE VARIOUS STATE, COUNTY, AND COMMUNITY AGENCIES TO MEET AND DEVELOP A HANAPEPE SALT POND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Land Division, assemble various State, County, and Community agencies to meet and develop a Hanapepe Salt Pond Resource Management Plan.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, three interested individuals, and five individuals from Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha Learning Center.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources testified in support of the intent of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that the Hanapepe Salt Ponds are authentic ancient Hawaiian salt ponds located on the southwestern coast of Kauai at the mouth of Hanapepe Valley.  They are listed on the State Historic Preservation Register and are an extremely important cultural resource to the Hawaiian community.

     Your Committee recognizes that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, State Historic Preservation Division ("SHPD"), would have a role in the preparation of the Hanapepe Salt Pond Resource Management Plant and that SHPD is presently in a state of transition.  In being mindful of the present state of SHPD and in order to be reasonable in its expectations regarding SHPD, your Committee recommends that there be a phasing in of the work contemplated by this measure.  Specifically, your Committee recommends that, for the first year period from 2008-2009, the working group concentrate its efforts on addressing items (1)-(3) listed in the measure and that the preliminary report address those items.  Thereafter, it is recommended that in the second year period from 2009-2010, the working group concentrate its efforts on addressing items (4)-(8) listed in the measure and in preparing the final report.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the description of the "draft report" to "preliminary report" to reflect that the report to be submitted to the Legislature prior to the 2009 Regular Session is intended to be limited to addressing items (1)-(3) of the enumerated items in the measure; and

     (2)  Adding the Office of Planning to the working group to ensure that issues relating to Coastal Management Zones will be addressed.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 117, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 117, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair