STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2566

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3124

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 Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 3124 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR COSTS RESULTING FROM THE RELEASE OF PETROLEUM FROM THE RED HILL BULK FUEL STORAGE FACILITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to the Department of Health for response activities and enforcement relating to the petroleum leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action, and two individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committees find that in November of 2021, petroleum was detected in the drinking water supply on Oahu resulting from a petroleum leak from the U.S. Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Since the contaminated drinking water was discovered, the Department of Health has expended a significant amount of funds in remediation efforts. These efforts are ongoing and the Department of Health requires more funds in order to pay for, among other things, additional staff, laboratory testing, and equipment. This measure makes an emergency appropriation to the Department of Health for response activities.

Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

Your Committees note that the Department of Health estimates the cost of its emergency response during the period of November 25, 2021, through June 1, 2022, to be approximately $4.5 million.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3124, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3124, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary.

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

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair