STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1396

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 71

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 71 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR TO CONVENE A SCENIC BYWAYS WORKING GROUP TO SELECT POSSIBLE SITES STATEWIDE, INCLUDING THE PI‘ILANI TRAIL ON MAUI, FOR PROPOSED FEDERAL DESIGNATION AS SCENIC BYWAYS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Office of the Governor to convene a Scenic Byways Working Group to select possible sites statewide, including the Pi‘ilani Trail on Maui, for proposed federal designation as scenic byways and to develop the federally required corridor management plan, as defined in the National Scenic Byways Program Interim Policy.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; one Maui County Council Member; and two individuals.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     This measure also requests the Office of the Governor to:

     (1)  Include in the Scenic Byways Working Group representatives from the Departments of Transportation, Land and Natural Resources, and Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, relevant county agencies, and representatives from community groups residing in areas where proposed scenic byways are located;

     (2)  Consult with and invite representatives from the Federal Highway Administration and any other relevant federal agency to participate in the deliberations of the Scenic Byways Working Group; and

     (3)  Act upon the findings and recommendations of the Scenic Byways Working Group by submitting (A) nominations of roads selected by the Working Group for designation as scenic byways, and (B) applications for federal funding to support the promotion, maintenance, and repair of these roads, to the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation.

     The Governor is also requested to submit a report to the 2010 Legislature on the progress of the Scenic Byways Working Group and the status of the application to the Federal Highways Administration for the funding and to designate selected areas of the State as scenic byways.

     Congress established the National Scenic Byways Program in 1991 under the Intermodal Transportation Efficiency Act and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.  The National Scenic Byways Program is a voluntary program designed to help states protect and promote their scenic roads by which states apply for funding from the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation and submit nominations of certain roads for designation as scenic byways by the Federal Highway Administration.

     There is great interest from the community to designate as a scenic byway the Pi‘ilani Trail, the eighteen-mile Heritage Corridor from Honokowai to Kahakuloa featuring the six sacred bays of Pi‘ilani, to preserve the area and to provide access for the public.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting reference to the working group;

     (2)  Requesting the Department of Transportation to conduct statewide community scenic byways educational workshops for proposed federal designations of scenic byways including the Pi‘ilani Trail on Maui; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 71, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 71, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________ CLAYTON HEE, Chair

____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair