STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2349

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2135

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2135 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OCEAN STEWARDSHIP SPECIAL FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Ocean Stewardship Special Fund to be used for planning, development, designing, or implementation of beach restoration projects, including the awarding of grants to nonprofit organizations for beach and nearshore environmental cleanup.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Surfrider Foundation, Clean the Pacific, Malama Pūpūkea-Waimea, Friends of Hanauma Bay, Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i, Na Kama Kai, and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's ocean waters and marine resources are some of the State's most ecologically, economically, and culturally valuable environmental assets. To protect Hawaii's coastal waters, the Thirty-First Legislature passed Act 46, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, to create the Ocean Stewardship Special Fund for the conservation, restoration, and enhancement of the State's marine resources. While many users enjoy Hawaii's marine resources, a disproportionate burden is placed on nonprofit organizations to organize events and volunteers to remove debris from marine resources. Many nonprofit organizations also utilize personal funds to purchase equipment to maintain clean shorelines and oceans at Hawaii's beaches.

Your Committee has also heard the concerns of Malama Pūpūkea-Waimea regarding the eligibility of native plant projects to be considered for coastal restoration funding to allow for projects such as restorative native plant landscaping. The Department of Land and Natural Resources concurred with Malama Pūpūkea-Waimea, agreeing that native plant projects should also qualify for coastal restoration projects. To maintain Hawaii's scenic beauty and recreational sites at state parks and marine resources, this measure authorizes the Ocean Stewardship Special Fund to expand its uses for beach and nearshore environmental cleanup.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2135, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2135, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair