HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
232 |
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
requesting the department of land and natural resources AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES To conduct an independent appraisal of molokai properties limited'S landholdings on the island of molokai.
WHEREAS, Molokai Properties Limited is owned by a foreign company, GuocoLeisure Limited, based in Singapore; and
WHEREAS, in April 2008, Molokai Properties Limited shut down all of its business operations on Molokai; and
WHEREAS, under orders from the Department of Health, Molokai Properties Limited was required to continue to provide water and sewer services; and
WHEREAS, Molokai Properties Limited has not made any commitment to continue to provide water and sewer services and the County of Maui has been forced to commence litigation against Molokai Properties Limited to enforce contracts to operate and maintain water and wastewater systems for the protection of the health and safety of its citizens; and
WHEREAS, Molokai Properties Limited owns over sixty thousand acres of land, approximately one-third of the land on the island of Molokai; and
WHEREAS, Molokai Properties Limited has engaged in land use practices that have substantially contributed to the loss of rainforests on its properties and to the increase of erosion, which depletes the quality of soil on the land and harms the marine ecosystems along Molokai's coastline; and
WHEREAS, Molokai Properties Limited is now denying access to most of its landholdings to Molokai residents who relied on those lands for gathering, hunting, and fishing; and
WHEREAS, Molokai Properties Limited lands contain numerous wahi pana (places of historical and cultural value), including heiau and ceremonial sites, ancient taro loi, and loko ia (ancient Hawaiian fishponds); and
WHEREAS, to protect and preserve Hawaii's historic and cultural heritage, a number of private entities have recently expressed interest in acquiring all or parts of Molokai Properties Limited's landholdings; and
WHEREAS, to negotiate the purchase of any of Molokai Properties Limited's landholdings or to advance any other options or alternatives with regard to these properties, it is necessary to ascertain its value; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Department of Accounting and General Services are requested to conduct an independent appraisal of Molokai Properties Limited's landholdings on the island of Molokai; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the appraisal be based on the land classification set by the County of Maui as of January 1, 2009; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Comptroller, and the Chief Executive Officer of GuocoLeisure Limited.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Department of Land and Natural Resources