STAND. COM. REP. NO. 233
Honolulu, Hawaii
S.D. 1
President of the Senate
Thirty-First State Legislature
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 1054 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BROWNFIELDS CLEANUP REVOLVING LOAN FUND,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to enable funds from the brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund to be used for sub-grants to eligible entities for brownfields site assessments, cleanup, and monitoring activities.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Health; Office of Planning; and City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting.
Your
Committee finds that the Hawaii brownfields cleanup revolving loan fund was
capitalized with funds from a United States Environmental Protection Agency
brownfields revolving loan fund grant. In
2012, the grant was closed when all grant funds had been expended for cleanup
loans, and a closeout agreement was executed between the United States
Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Business, Economic
Development, and Tourism. Under the
closeout agreement, revolving loan funds may be used for loans and sub-grants
to eligible entities for brownfields site assessment activities, sampling, and
related activities in addition to cleanup activities.
Your
Committee further finds that the statutory authority for the existing loan fund
strictly limits use of revolving loan funds to loans and cleanup activities. Expansion of the loan fund authority to
enable sub-grants for cleanups, environmental site assessments, and related
activities, in conformance with the closeout agreement, will allow for greater
use of the grant funds for eligible brownfields projects and facilitate
redevelopment of lands that are underutilized due to perceived or real
contamination. Accordingly, this measure
expands activities for which sub-grants may be awarded to eligible entities for
brownfields site assessments, cleanup, and monitoring activities. This measure makes more productive use of the
revolving loan funds to advance eligible public and non-profit projects of
community benefit, such as accommodations for park and open space and affordable
housing.
Your Committee has
amended this measure by making
technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and
consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1054, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1054, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment,
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________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair |
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