STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2074

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3027

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. 3027 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BEACHES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to include in the State's policies for the physical environment under the Hawaii State Planning Act, the development of a statewide beach assessment study and a restoration and conservation plan.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and University of Hawai‘i System.

Your Committee finds that shoreline erosion is a growing issue due to climate change impacts. Current trends of significant shoreline erosion stem from historical erosion mapping projects regularly updated by the Department of Land and Natural Resources since 2011. Other programs such as the Climate Resiliency Initiative at the University of Hawaii at Manoa focuses on various projects related to climate change impacts, such as shoreline erosion. To address growing concerns of climate change impacts on shoreline erosion, this measure includes in the State's policies, under the Hawaii State Planning Act, the development of a statewide beach assessment study and a restoration and conservation plan to protect Hawaii's shorelines.

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. 3027, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3027, 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,

________________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair