109             
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION
  REQUESTING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, NATURAL
    RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE TO RECOMMEND THE USE OF
    HEMP FIBER SOIL EROSION CONTROL BLANKETS WHENEVER
    FEASIBLE.



 1        WHEREAS, industrial hemp is an environmentally friendly,
 2   renewable natural resource for the manufacture of fiber,
 3   building materials (such as roofing, flooring, soil erosion
 4   control blankets, and wallboard), pulp, paper, oil, paints,
 5   sealants, fuel, and food; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, industrial hemp can be grown as a rotation crop
 8   to control weeds and plant pests (such as the soybean cyst
 9   nematode) and to loosen the earth for subsequent crops.
10   Because it helps to control weeds and plant pests, industrial
11   hemp does not require herbicides and pesticides; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, soil erosion control blankets made from
14   industrial hemp can absorb and dissipate the tremendous amount
15   of energy released by falling rain and running water, which in
16   turn can help to protect fertilizer and soil while keeping
17   seeds in place; and
18   
19        WHEREAS, soil erosion control blankets made from
20   industrial hemp can slow down the surface movement (velocity)
21   of runoff water with minimum disturbance to the soil underneath
22   the blanket and can absorb moisture for release to the soil
23   after a runoff event; and
24   
25        WHEREAS, soil erosion control blankets made from
26   industrial hemp can moderate extreme diurnal variations in soil
27   temperatures and can conserve moisture in the soil to nurture
28   the growth of emerging vegetative cover during its most
29   vulnerable period; and
30   
31        WHEREAS, soil erosion control blankets made from
32   industrial hemp can promote the development of fertile
33   grasslands and can contribute to good soil health by gradually
34   decomposing into a rich organic mulch when they are no longer
35   needed for erosion control; and
36   

 
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 1        WHEREAS, soil erosion control blankets made from
 2   industrial hemp can reduce the loss of soft, loose topsoil to
 3   constant windy conditions and can prevent the undesirable
 4   exposure of hardpan, which is resistant to natural vegetative
 5   growth and cultivation; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, soil erosion control blankets made from coconut
 8   husk (coir) fibers have been recommended successfully by the
 9   Natural Resources Conservation Service in Kona on the island of
10   Hawaii to reduce soil erosion caused by ephemeral
11   (intermittent) streams; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, nonpoint source (water) pollution management and
14   control, which includes soil erosion control to protect the
15   quality of coastal and surface water, is required pursuant to
16   chapter 342E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and the 1987 amendments
17   to the federal Clean Water Act; now, therefore,
18   
19        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
20   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
21   of 1999, that the United States Department of Agriculture,
22   Natural Resources Conservation Service is requested to
23   recommend the use of hemp fiber soil erosion control blankets
24   whenever feasible; and
25   
26        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
27   Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of Agriculture, the
28   Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the
29   (Hawaii) State Conservationist of the Natural Resources
30   Conservation Service.
31 
32 
33 
34                           OFFERED BY: ___________________________

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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