STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3435

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1954

H.D. 2

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 Health and Water and Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1954, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO FUND A GRANT TO THE BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY FOR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, FUTURE PLANNING, AND GROUND WATER REMEDIATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Make an emergency appropriation from the general revenues of the State of Hawaii to fund a grant-in-aid to the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply (Honolulu Board of Water Supply) for emergency operations, future planning, and remediation resulting from the contamination of the southern Oahu basal aquifer; and

(2) Require the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to make reports to the Legislature on all expenditures, remediation efforts, and testing quality prior to the regular sessions of 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, one member of the Hawai‘i County Council, Kauai Women's Caucus, 350Hawaii.org, and eighteen individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Budget and Finance, and two individuals.

Your Committees find that the fuel release from the Department of the Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility has caused the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to incur significant costs in taking responsive actions to address the potential impacts of contamination to Oahu's drinking water. It has also forced the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to shut off the Halawa Shaft, and Halawa and Aiea wells, reducing its capacity to provide water service to metropolitan Honolulu, and the Aiea-Halawa neighborhoods of Oahu. This measure will help offset some of the costs already incurred and to support future water resource protection measures.

Your Committees acknowledge the testimony of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which proposed an amendment that would allow the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to use moneys for outreach, education, and conservation activities.

Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Authorizing the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to use grant funding for outreach, education, and conservation activities;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1954, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1954, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair