STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3319

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1497

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1497, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish a two-year pilot program to remove invasive species in and around Waiahole Stream on Oahu.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaii State Aha Moku, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, and one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committees find that proper management and maintenance of watersheds are crucial to preventing loss of life and protecting public and private property in nearby communities. Forest management projects have the potential to increase water infiltration and reduce runoff, mitigating downstream flooding. Forest management may also improve forest health and reduce invasive species impacts, allowing the forest and its ecosystem to thrive.

Under lease agreements with the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, lessees are responsible for clearing Waiahole Stream along their property. Many lessees lack the financial means to remove large albizia trees that may fall in or near the stream, thereby exacerbating existing flood risks. Impacts from climate change and extreme weather events also create additional hazards from flood risks, as witnessed during the damaging floods of March 2021 in Waiahole. As the albizia tree poses significant flood and community risks near the Waiahole Stream, mitigation is necessary to address the prevalence of this invasive species.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2022.

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 H.B. No. 1497, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1497, H.D. 1, 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

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair