STAND. COM. REP. NO.2153

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2774

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2774 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM FINANCING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purposes of this measure are to broaden the parties eligible for loans and to provide another means to assist in financing eligible projects for environmental programs in Hawaii through the Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Fund and the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that this legislation broadens the class of recipients eligible for financial assistance beyond counties and state agencies to private entities or landowners to assist in financing nonpoint source and other eligible water pollution control projects. Your Committee has heard that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has documented that over fifty per cent of the pollution of our water environment is from nonpoint sources, and in Hawaii, most of the impaired water bodies are due to nonpoint source pollution. The vast majority of these pollution problems occur on private lands, and providing financial assistance to private entities is in the public interest because the pollution of state waters from private lands affects the public.

Your Committee has amended this measure to incorporate minor language changes as recommended by the Department of the Attorney General, to make the appropriation section effective July 1, 2002, and to make technical, nonsubstantive amendments to reflect the preferred drafting style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2774, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2774, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair