STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1970

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 770

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 770, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

Commission on Water Resource Management

G.M. No. 770

HANNAH SPRINGER, for a term to expire 06-30-2028,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by Hannah Springer for service on the Commission on Water Resource Management.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Hannah Springer from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; Hawaii State Aha Moku; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; one member of the Maui County Council; one member of the Hawaiʻi County Council; Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo; Earthjustice; Laʻiopua 2020; Moku o Manokalanipō, Kauaʻi Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Hui Kahuwai; Moana Ohana; Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi; Mālama Loko Ea Foundation; Waimea Hawaiian Civic Club; Hui Makaʻāinana o Makana; Trust for Public Land; Koʻolau Foundation; Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition; For the Fishes; We Are One, Inc.; Free Access Coalition; Hanalei Watershed Hui; Kūpuna for the Moʻopuna; Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs; Hui Aloha ʻĀina o Honolulu; Kaheawai Media; Ka Ahahui Hawaii Aloha Aina; Aliʻi Pauahi Hawaiian Civic Club; Makana No Ke Kasiaulu; Democratic Socialists of Oahu; National Tropical Botanical Garden; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Kauai Climate Action Coalition; Green Party of Hawaiʻi; Maui Cultural Lands; Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders Association; Save Honolua Coalition; Huliaupaʻa; Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund; Villages of Laʻiopua; Paepae o Heʻeia; Moanalua Gardens Foundation; Lāhainā Strong; Kūmano I Ke Ala; Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action; Nā Kiaʻi Kai; Maui Tomorrow Foundation; Pōʻai Wai Ola; ʻAhahui o Hawaiʻi; Malama Makua; Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi; CountryTalkStory; Hui Aloha Kīholo; and more than two hundred fifty individuals.

Upon review of the testimony, your Committee finds that Ms. Springer's experience and knowledge qualify her for appointment to the Commission on Water Resource Management as a member who possesses substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian water resource management techniques and in traditional Hawaiian riparian usage. A native of Kaʻūpūlehu in North Kona, Ms. Springer has deep ancestral and generational ties to the lands and waters of Hawaiʻi Island. She has long served as a respected voice in policy discussions and community-based efforts focused on protecting the State's natural and cultural resources, demonstrating a deep commitment to sustainability, collaboration, and the integration of Hawaiian values and practices into resource management decision-making. Your Committee notes that Ms. Springer has an extraordinary record of public service that includes appointments to the Hawaiʻi County Planning Commission, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission, and Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Ms. Springer has also demonstrated thoughtful leadership through her involvement with nonprofit organizations, including the Akaka Foundation for Tropical Forests, Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, and Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee. Your Committee further finds that Ms. Springer thoroughly understands the roles and responsibilities of commission members and her experience, knowledge of traditional Hawaiian water management practices, and community-based efforts will be assets to the Commission on Water Resource Management. Your Committee therefore recommends that Hannah Springer be appointed to the Commission on Water Resource Management based on her experience, knowledge, and commitment to public service.

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, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

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

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair