STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1249-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2645

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2645, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require, for any proposed action involving construction for which an environmental impact statement has been accepted by an agency but for which construction has not commenced within ten years of the acceptance of the statement, the developer of the construction project to exercise due diligence and hold community discussion and feedback sessions to share relevant and new information surrounding the project; and

(2) Exempt capital improvement projects undertaken by the Department of Agriculture on state-owned agricultural lands and irrigation water systems from the requirements of this measure.

An individual supported this measure. NAIOP Hawaii, The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, General Contractors Association of Hawaii, Building Industry Association of Hawaii, and Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii opposed this measure. The Office of Environmental Quality Control and Office of Hawaiian Affairs provided comments.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its substantive contents and inserting language establishing and appropriating funds for a task force to evaluate the process of executing a delayed construction project that has not commenced within ten years of acceptance of its environmental impact statement;

(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

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 S.B. No. 2645, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2645, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your 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