CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 61

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2015

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1394

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir and Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1394, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER RECLAMATION,"

 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

 

The purpose of this measure is to explore the sustainability and conservation potential of water scalping in Hawaii by conducting a feasibility study on the use of water scalping technology in state facilities.

 

     Specifically, the measure:

 

     (1)  Requires the Department of Transportation to conduct a feasibility study on the use of water scalping technology in state facilities;

 

     (2)  Specifies the contents of the feasibility study; and

 

     (3)  Requires the Department to submit a report to the Legislature, no later than November 30, 2016, on the Department's findings and recommendations regarding water scalping.

    

Your Committee on Conference finds that Hawaii has limited access to natural fresh water supplies.  Your Committee on Conference believes that sustainable access to fresh water is essential to the State's future, and the State should support the discovery of new and innovative options for water conservation.  Water scalping is one method that may help Hawaii achieve fresh water sustainability.  The process of water scalping involves the extraction of valuable, usable water from a sewerage network.  Water scalping may allow for unused and wasted water to be reclaimed and put to beneficial use, such as outdoor irrigation.  Your Committee on Conference further finds that a feasibility study focused on the use of water scalping technology in state airport facilities may serve as a model to assist the State in achieving water sustainability and reducing reliance on conventional water supplies. 

 

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Specifying that the feasibility study on the use of water scalping technology shall be conducted in state airport facilities, rather than in state facilities, including specifying that the Airports Division of the Department of Transportation, rather than the Department of Transportation, shall conduct the feasibility study;

 

     (2)  Authorizing the Airports Division of the Department of Transportation to develop a process design for the processing portion of the implementation of water scalping technology, if funds are available;

 

     (3)  Requiring the Airports Division of the Department of Transportation to submit its report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016, rather than November 30, 2016;

 

     (4)  Directing the Airports Division of the Department of Transportation to apply for a Federal Aviation Administration grant to fund the implementation of a water scalping technology pilot project;

 

     (5)  Making an appropriation from the airport special fund for airports administration (TRN195), as provided for in the General Appropriations Act of 2015, to support the purposes of this measure;

 

     (6)  Clarifying that if Federal Aviation Administration funds are available, the Department of Transportation may expend the federal funds for the purposes of this measure, and if Federal Aviation Administration funds are not available, authorizing the Department of Transportation to expend up to the amount of airport special fund moneys appropriated in this measure; and

 

     (7)  Changing the effective date from July 1, 2053, to July 1, 2015.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1394, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1394, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

 

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

 

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

 

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair

 

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Co-Chair

____________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Co-Chair

____________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Co-Chair

 

____________________________

TY J.K. CULLEN, Co-Chair