STAND. COM. REP. NO.
Honolulu, Hawaii
APR 0 1 2025
RE: S.R. No. 36
S .D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.R.
No. 36 entitled:
"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND
NATURAL RESOURCES TO ESTABLISH A DESALINATION PLANNING TASK
FORCE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE USE OF DESALINATION FOR LARGE-
SCALE WATER CONSUMPTION IN THE STATE IS FEASIBLE,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the
Department of Land and Natural Resources to convene and provide
administrative assistance to a Desalination Planning Task Force to
determine whether the use of desalination for large-scale water
consumption in the State is feasible.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.
Your Committee received comments on this measure from the
Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Your Committee finds that freshwater scarcity is an
increasingly present threat to communities around the world in the
face of population growth and climate change. Your Committee
further finds that islands like Oahu rely on underground aquifers
for their freshwater supply, which take decades to replenish
naturally and are susceptible to chemical spills and leaks.
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droughts, and commercial overuse. Your Committee further finds
that desalination, the process of removing salt from seawater,
offers a promising solution to the freshwater scarcity crisis.
This measure requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources
to determine the feasibility of desalination for water
consumption.
Your Committee notes the concern raised by the Department of
Land and Natural Resources that the current level of staffing and
resources at the Commission on Water Resources Management is not
sufficient to complete the requested desalination study and
provide a report to the Legislature twenty days prior to the
convening of the Regular Session of 2026. Therefore, your
committee respectfully requests that subsequent committees to
which this measure is referred consider delaying the report
deadline to 2027.
Your Committee has amended this measure by amending its title
to better reflect its purpose.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 36, as
amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached
hereto as S.R. No. 36, S.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on
behalf of the members of the
Committee on Water and Land,
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 The Senate
Thirty-Third Legislature
State of Hawaii
Record of Votes
Committee on Water and Land
WTL
Bill / Resolution No.:* Committee Referral: Date:
03 A/
The Committee is reconsidering its previous decision on this measure.
If so, then the previous decision was to: ___________________________________
The Recommendation is:
Pass, unamended Z Pass, with amendments __ Hold __ Recommit
2312 2311_______________ 2310________ 2313
Members Aye Aye (WR) Nay Excused
INOUYE. Lorraine R. (C) p/"
ELEFANTE, Brandon J.C. (VC)
CHANG, Stanley
MCKELVEY, Angus L.K. vZ
DECORTE, Samantha
TOTAL 5" 0
Recommendation:
Adopted __ Not Adopted
Chair’s or Designee’s Signature:
Distribution: Original Yellow Pink Goldenrod
File with Committee Report Clerk's Office Drafting Agency Committee File Copy
*Only one measure per Record of Votes
Revised: 12/09/24