STAND. COM. REP. NO.  366

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1453

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1453 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE MOLOA‘A WELL PROJECT ON THE ISLAND OF KAUAI,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to support agriculture on Kauai by appropriating funds for land acquisition, plans, design, and construction for the new well at Moloa‘a on the island of Kauai and:

     (1)  Alternative energy development to power the well to supplement the existing water resources at Moloa‘a; and

     (2)  An onsite, state-of-the-art post-harvest facility at Moloa‘a to meet the new standards established by the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Three members of the Kauai County Council, Moloa‘a Irrigation Cooperative, Kauai Chamber of Commerce, Hawaii Farm Bureau, Kauai County Farm Bureau, Wootens Produce of Kauai, Kakimoto Farms, Three Roads Farm, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Hawaii Farmers Union – Kauai, Hula Daze Farm, Counter Culture Food + Ferments, and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources opposed this measure.  The Department of Agriculture and a concerned individual submitted comments.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriations to unspecified sums to facilitate further discussion; and

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

     Should your Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating $3,050,000 for the Moloa‘a well project as follows:

     (1)  Land acquisition        $500,000;

     (2)  Plans                   $600,000;

     (3)  Design                  $200,000; and

     (4)  Construction            $1,750,000.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1453, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1453, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land,

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair

____________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair