THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

221

THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGing the city and county of honolulu to aDOPT A streamlineD permitting process like hoala loko ia FOR the restoration, REPAIR, MAINTENANCE, AND RECONSTRUCTION of traditional Hawaiian fishpond SYSTEMs under ITS jurisdiction.

 

 


     WHEREAS, in June 1989, the Hawaiian Fishpond Study for the islands of Oahu, Molokai, and Hawaii, which was prepared for the Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program, found, in part, that complex regulatory procedures and processes for permits in the coastal zone inhibit the use of traditional Hawaiian fishpond systems in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, in November 2012, traditional native Hawaiian practitioners at the Fishpond Conference issued a declaration that called for the development of a state programmatic general permit and streamlined permitting process for the restoration, protection, preservation, perpetuation, traditional and customary use and/or maintenance of loko ia (traditional Hawaiian fishpond systems) and their related biocultural resources and habitats across Hawaii, stating, in part, that:

 

     (1)  Loko ia are unique sustainable aquaculture systems found nowhere else in the world;

 

     (2)  Loko ia can significantly contribute to healthy and sustainable food security and food sovereignty in Hawaii;

 

     (3)  Loko ia can also play a role in mitigating the local impacts of sea level rise and coastal inundation;

 

     (4)  Loko ia are critical and essential sites of learning, traditional and ancestral knowledge, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, cultural practice, healthy physical activity, and community fellowship; and

 

     (5)  The restoration and reuse of loko ia provide an opportunity to increase community-based sustainable economic development opportunities; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources through the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands is responsible for regulating and permitting land uses in conservation districts; and

 

     WHEREAS, in January 2015, the Department of Land and Natural Resources released a streamlined permitting process for restoration, repair, maintenance, and operation of loko ia called Hoāla Loko Ia; and

 

     WHEREAS, in July 2015, Governor David Ige also prioritized and facilitated the repair and restoration of loko ia by signing Act 230, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, which waives the need to obtain water quality certifications for loko ia restoration projects that receive notice of authorization through the Hoāla Loko Ia permitting process; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hoāla Loko Ia allows most of the various permits required for the repair and restoration of loko ia, such as those for dredging, wall repair, and removal of invasive species, to fall under one Master Conservation District Use Permit; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State classifies its land into districts based on their different uses, such as conservation, agricultural, urban, and rural; and

 

     WHEREAS, the counties of the State are responsible for regulating and permitting land uses in agricultural, urban, and rural districts; and

 

     WHEREAS, although the permitting process for loko ia has been streamlined, Hoāla Loko Ia is a state-run program and the jurisdiction of the Department of Land and Natural Resources only covers conservation districts, therefore this streamlined process can only apply to the loko ia in conservation districts; and

 

     WHEREAS, the loko ia on Oahu that exist outside of conservation districts are under the jurisdiction of the City and County of Honolulu; and

 

     WHEREAS, because Hoāla Loko Ia was developed to be consistent with various county coastal zone management regulations, traditional native Hawaiian practitioners should be able to use a streamlined process like Hoāla Loko Ia to secure any county permits necessary for loko ia restoration projects; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the House of Representatives concurring, that the City and County of Honolulu is urged to adopt a streamlined permitting process like Hoāla Loko Ia for the restoration, repair, maintenance, and reconstruction of loko ia located in areas under its jurisdiction; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, nine members of the Honolulu City Council, and Director of the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Fishponds; City And County Of Honolulu; Non-Conservation Districts; Streamlined Permitting Process; Hoala Loko Ia