STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 18
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 505
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 505 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RED HILL,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Establish a Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative (WAI) policy coordinator to coordinate WAI initiatives across state and county agencies and appropriate federal entities; and
(2) Establish the Red Hill Remediation Special Fund.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; University of Hawai‘i System; Honolulu Board of Water Supply; Coalition Earth; Ka Lahui Hawai‘i; Sierra Club of Hawai‘i; Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Hui Malama Pono Hawaii; Mala Hanai Pua LLC; Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; The Queens Court; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.
Your Committee finds that the State
has an affirmative duty to preserve and protect public trust resources,
including water resources. Your
Committee further finds that future access to clean drinking water on the
island of Oahu has been seriously imperiled after fuel releases at the United
States Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility contaminated the aquifer
located beneath the facility.
As a response to the
Red Hill crisis, representatives from the State and the City and County of
Honolulu issued a unified statement and created the WAI working group to
identify an approach to ensure clean water for current and future residents of
Oahu. In November 2023, the WAI
published a public, final report setting forth its findings and recommendations
for the remediation needs for the future well-being of Oahu's aquifers and
clean water sources, water distribution system, and the overall ecosystem,
including springs, streams, and nearshore waters. While some of these recommendations can only
be carried out by the federal government, other recommendations can be
undertaken by the State or the City and County of Honolulu.
Your Committee
believes that there should be no delay in taking steps to implement the WAI's
recommendations that can be executed by the State and county. This measure is intended to protect the
future of Oahu's clean water by establishing a WAI policy coordinator to ensure
remediation efforts are appropriately coordinated between the State, City and
County of Honolulu, and any appropriate federal entity.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000,
to encourage further discussion; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments
for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 505, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 505, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,
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____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair |
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