STAND. COM. REP. NO. 665

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 1367

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1367 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER RESOURCES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds and appropriate funds to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply for the planning, design, and construction of two monitoring wells.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Water Supply of the City and County of Honolulu; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Reef and Ocean Coalition; and three individuals.

Your Committees find that it is estimated that the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility, located above Oahu's sole-source groundwater aquifer, has released between 644,000 and 1,940,000 gallons of fuel during its eighty years of operation. Your Committees further find that contaminants from the facility can migrate to various well sources managed by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and present a serious risk to Oahu's groundwater resources. This measure authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds and appropriates funds to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to install monitoring wells, which will provide critical data to assess contamination risks and guide efforts to protect Oahu's drinking water.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2) Changing the maximum number of monitoring wells to be funded from two to six;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committees respectfully request your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $20,000,000.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1367, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1367, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water & Land,

____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair

____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair