STAND. COM. REP. NO. 526

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.B. No. 426

        S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 426 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CESSPOOLS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to implement the recommendation of the Cesspool Conversion Working Group to accelerate the dates for required upgrades, conversions, or connections of priority level 1 cesspools and priority level 2 cesspools by requiring priority level 1 cesspools to be upgraded, converted, or connected before January 1, 2030, and priority level 2 cesspools to be upgraded, converted, or connected before January, 1, 2035, rather than before January 1, 2050.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations, Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition, and two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from Hawaii REALTORS.

 

     Your Committee finds that the State has mandated the upgrade, conversion, or connection or all cesspools in Hawaii by 2050.  However, it has become clear that these cesspools are an imminent danger and must be resolved immediately in order to avoid preventable damage to the soil, environment, and ground water sources.  Thus, this measure accelerates the upgrade, conversion, and connection deadlines for priority one and priority two cesspools to 2030 and 2035, respectively, to protect the public and environment from preventable harm.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by updating the references to the University of Hawaii 2021 Hawaii Cesspool hazard assessment and prioritization tool by replacing it with the University of Hawaii 2022 Hawaii cesspool hazard assessment and prioritization tool, as recommended by the Department of Health.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 426, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 426, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment,

 

 

 

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair