STAND. COM. REP. NO. 502

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 140

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Higher Education and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 140 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DARK NIGHT SKIES PROTECTION,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to preserve dark night skies in Hawaii by establishing a Dark Night Skies Protection Advisory Committee.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; University of Hawaii System; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and four individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation.

 

     Your Committees find that dark night skies hold important cultural, scientific, astronomical, natural, landscape, and tourism-related value.  Your Committees further find that light pollution, caused by inappropriate use of lighting at night, including over-illumination, excessive use of artificial light, use of fixtures that directs light upward causing glare and sky glow, and use of fixtures that have excessive amounts of blue light, which is scattered by the atmosphere to cause sky glow, interferes with dark night sky activities and the nighttime activities of certain animal and insect species.  Your Committees also find that nighttime illumination of state highways, harbors, airports, and other facilities is costly and consumes large amounts of energy, and that application of new lighting technologies could produce substantial energy and cost savings.  This measure is an important step toward better protection of Hawaii's dark night skies.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Inserting language to allow a designee of the Administrator of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to serve on the Advisory Committee in place of the Administrator;

 

     (2)  Inserting language to include a member from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the list of interested parties that the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee may invite to advise the Advisory Committee; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 140, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 140, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education and Agriculture and Environment,

 

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair

 

________________________________

KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair