STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2647

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2295

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 Transportation and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2295 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Transportation to plan for a certain amount of sea level rise in all future or amended transportation projects; and

(2) Require all Department of Transportation projects to conform to certain carbon concrete standards.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Surfrider Foundation and three individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation.

Your Committees find that our state highways are vulnerable to sea level rise, coastal erosion, and other impacts of climate change and extreme weather. Therefore, this measure requires the Department of Transportation to plan for sea level rise in all future or amended transportation projects and to conform to the carbon concrete standards.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Department of Transportation shall plan for sea level rise within the sea level rise exposure areas designated by the Hawaii Climate Commission;

(2) Allowing the Director of Transportation to issue exemptions for the use of the carbon concrete standards when necessary or when different procedures are mandated by federal law; 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 Transportation and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2295, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2295, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair