Report Title:

Appropriation; Hawaii Drought Plan

Description:

Appropriates funds for further development and planning of the Hawaii Drought Plan. (SB1495 HD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1495

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 1


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

making an appropriation for the hawaii drought plan.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that droughts are potentially devastating to Hawaii's economy and way of life. A severe drought not only damages the agriculture and livestock industry, but may also harm our tourist industry which is dependent on the natural beauty and "greenery" of our forests and plant life.

Crop damage, cattle losses, water shortages in agricultural irrigation systems, and other costs are incurred during droughts. Drought conditions are already affecting thousands of farmers on the mainland, threatening to destroy jobs and businesses that have been built over generations of hard work and effort. In Hawaii, drought declarations and emergency conservation measures have been issued intermittently over the past five years for the counties of Maui and Hawaii. According to the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, estimated losses to the beef cattle industry during the droughts of 1999 and 2000 topped $15,000,000.

Recognizing the threat that droughts pose to Hawaii, a group of private and governmental representatives known as the Hawaii Drought Council developed, with valuable input from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the first phase of the Hawaii drought plan to address this threat. The goal of this plan is to develop coordinated emergency response mechanisms, while at the same time outlining steps towards mitigating the effects of future drought occurrences.

The legislature notes that some funding for continued planning and drought mitigation measures has been provided by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, but funds may not be sufficient to fully plan and develop the Hawaii drought plan.

The purpose of this Act is to provide state funds to supplement federal funding for further development and planning of the Hawaii drought plan.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004 to fund phase 1 and phase 2 of the Hawaii drought plan, including the assessment of sector-based socioeconomic and environmental impacts due to drought and the identification of drought risk reduction and mitigation measures for the State of Hawaii.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of land and natural resources for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 3. This appropriation is necessary to qualify for federal financing or reimbursement.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.