STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2166

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2992

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2992 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN SANDALWOOD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an appropriation to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct an inventory survey of Hawaiian sandalwood on the island of Hawaii to determine the abundance, health, and distribution of Hawaiian sandalwood that is currently subject to commercial harvest.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Aha Moku Advisory Committee, Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, and nine individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaiian sandalwood, ‘iliahi, is critically important to Native Hawaiians as part of the symbiotic relationship between the ‘iliahi plant, the ‘iliahi bird, and the ‘iliahi fish and shows the nature connection between the wao akua, the land of the gods, the wao kele, coastal areas, and the po wale, the deep ocean.  Your Committee further finds that although this measure addresses only one species of Hawaiian sandalwood, Santalum paniculatum, consideration should be given to establishing protections for all six species of Hawaiian sandalwood.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2992 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture,

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair