STAND. COM. REP. NO.  479-12

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2690

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 2690 entitled:

 

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

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to address geothermal resources by:

 

     (1)  Differentiating between "geothermal resources exploration" and "geothermal resources development" for purposes of mining leases and exploration permits;

 

     (2)  Designating geothermal resources exploration and geothermal resources development as permitted uses in all state land use districts and conservation district zones;

 

     (3)  Repealing geothermal resource subzone provisions under state land use law; and

 

     (4)  Exempting geothermal resources exploration from environmental assessment and environmental impact statement requirements.

 

    


     The Department of Land and Natural Resources; the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Innovations Development Group; Indigenous Consultants, LLC; and an individual testified in support of this measure.  The Office of Environmental Quality Control, the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, and an individual opposed this measure.  Life of the Land submitted comments on this measure.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting provisions relating to environmental review so that geothermal exploration and development projects are not statutorily exempt from completing an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2690, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2690, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

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

 

 

____________________________

JERRY L. CHANG, Chair

 

____________________________

DENNY COFFMAN, Chair