STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2341

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2639

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Economic Development, Environment, and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 2639 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONSERVATION DISTRICTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require a ninety day extension of the deadline for the Department of Land and Natural Resources' decision on a conservation district use application beyond the time necessary to complete an environmental impact statement or contested case hearing.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and three individuals.

     Your Committees find that this measure ensures that adequate time will be automatically granted if a contested case hearing or environmental impact statement is required, in order to avoid an automatic default approval of a conservation district use application.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Economic Development, Environment, and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2639 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Economic Development, Environment, and Technology,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair