STAND. COM. REP. NO.  24

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 1015

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1015 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION OUT OF THE BROWNFIELDS CLEANUP REVOLVING LOAN FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation from the Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund to facilitate the disbursement of federal funds for the environmental cleanup of a contaminated site.

     The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that DBEDT received a federal grant of $2,000,000 from the United States Environmental Protection Agency for a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Program to clean up contaminated sites.  Funds under this grant must be disbursed before they lapse at the end of the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

     DBEDT executed a no-interest loan with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) to clean up a contaminated site in Kapolei.  However, the amount of federal grant funds that remain to be disbursed exceeds the existing expenditure ceiling of $1,000,000.  This measure provides an emergency appropriation of an additional $1,000,000, for a total of $2,000,000 authorized for expenditure in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, from the Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund to complete the disbursement of funds to DHHL and allow DBEDT to meet its requirements under the federal grant.

     Your Committee notes that Governor's Message No. 97 requests immediate passage of this measure in accordance with Article VII, Section 9 of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to:

     (1)  Correctly reflect a dollar amount as it appears in Act 162, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1015, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1015, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

HERMINA MORITA, Chair