STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2673
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2683
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2020
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2683 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEA LEVEL RISE,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission and coordinator.
Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, IMUAAliiance, Board of Water Supply, and one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning.
Your Committees find
that Hawaii is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, including
rising sea levels, extreme tides, accelerated coastal erosion, and stronger,
more frequent storms. Even with decisive
actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, many of the impacts of climate
change are inescapable, and require that the population and environment adapt
to them. Your Committees find that the
Hawaii climate adaptation initiative was established in 2014 with the purpose
of protecting the State's economy, health, environment, and way of life by
considering how to best adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. This measure will appropriate funds to the Climate
Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission so that they address ways to
strengthen Hawaii's overall readiness to face sea level rise and climate change.
Your Committees have
amended this measure by:
(1) Incorporating proposed changes from the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission to:
(A) Remove language requiring the Commission to conduct an inventory and replace it with language requiring the Commission to bring resources to the various agencies and departments in the form of best practices, formulate guidance, and provide a coordinating structure and timeframe within which to work;
(B) Remove language requiring that the Commission identify priority areas throughout the State that will be subject to high rates of coastal erosion and sea level rise, including public infrastructure and private properties;
(C) Remove language the requires the Commission to design and propose sea level rise impact zone maps to be adopted by the Legislature and provide a guidepost for future sea level rise adaptation policies and replace it with language requiring the Commission to work with partners to operationalize sea level rise exposure areas into county planning and permitting, and provide a status update in its annual report to the Legislature;
(D) Remove language the requires the Commission to work with state and county agencies to develop sea level rise adaptation plans in accordance with the sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation report and replace it with language that requires the Commission to work to enhance, uniformize, and support the work of the state and county agencies in their development of sea level rise adaptation plans utilizing the sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation report; and
(E) Remove language requiring the Commission to make
specific recommendations to the Legislature for policies that may be adopted
for managed retreat, relocation of infrastructure, or mitigation measures to
minimize the impacts of sea level rise for public infrastructure and private
properties, including information regarding how these recommendations may be
funded and consideration of sea level rise policies implemented in other states
and nations; and
(2) 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 Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2683, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2683, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment,
________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair |
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________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair |
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