STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2697

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2519

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2519 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to help divert certain types of solid waste from the waste stream and allow those materials to be reused.

Specifically, this measure authorizes the Agribusiness Development Corporation to:

(1) Contract with private businesses to remove municipal solid waste, glass, and food and green waste from the waste stream so they may be used in other business sectors; and

(2) Adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, regarding the solid waste diversion.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture; Agribusiness Development Corporation; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council; and OCC Legislative Priorities Committee, Democratic Party of Hawaii.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Department of Environmental Services of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committee finds that encouraging innovative processes for recycling will both help to reduce the impact of waste on the environment and support industry sectors, such as construction and energy, because recycled materials have many beneficial uses.

Your Committee has amended this measure by specifying that the new section to be added to Chapter 163D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, shall be inserted into part I of that Chapter.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2519, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2519, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair