STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2456

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2911

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2911 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL DUE DILIGENCE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct a phase I environmental site assessment and, if necessary, a phase II environmental site assessment and suitable environmental remediation at the former Lalamilo reservoir site on the island of Hawaii as due diligence for a proposed land exchange for the relocation of a public library.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii State Public Library System, and Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i.

Your Committees find that there is a proposed land exchange in the Waimea area on the island of Hawaii. In exchange for the former Lalamilo reservoir site, the State will receive a parcel of land that will be used to eventually replace the existing Thelma Parker Memorial Public and School Library. The site of this library is currently the Waimea Elementary School campus, which causes safety concerns for the school and library as well as issues relating to access to both campuses due to insufficient parking. This measure will provide the necessary funds for the Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct due diligence to facilitate the proposed land exchange.

Your Committees have amended this measure by adopting the language suggested by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which clarifies that due diligence includes any common transaction costs, including but not limited to certain specified costs, concerning the Lalamilo reservoir site land exchange transaction of the relocation of the public library.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2911, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2911, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair