STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2709

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3103

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Energy and Environment and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 3103 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENDANGERED SPECIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to encourage endangered species restoration by authorizing the development and use of programmatic safe harbor agreements and programmatic habitat conservation plans that cover multiple landowners or a class of landowners over a wide area or region.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

     Your Committees find that, by authorizing the development and use of programmatic safe harbor agreements and programmatic habitat conservation plans, and the tools needed to implement them, this measure will encourage greater participation in endangered species restoration by private landowners.

     Your Committees further find that similar programmatic safe harbor agreements and programmatic habitat conservation plans have been adopted by federal resource conservation agencies; and thus, this measure will assist state agencies in working cooperatively and concurrently with federal agencies.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to ensure further discussion and consideration.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environment and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3103, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3103, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environment and Water and Land,

____________________________ CLAYTON HEE, Chair

____________________________ RON MENOR, Chair