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 i   a (traditional Hawaiian fishpond systems) and their related biocultural resources and habitats across Hawaii, stating, in part, that:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

        (4)   Loko i   a 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 i   a 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 i   a called Ho     la Loko I   a; and

 

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

 

        WHEREAS, Ho     la Loko I   a allows most of the various permits required for the repair and restoration of loko i   a, 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 i   a has been streamlined, Ho     la Loko I   a 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 i   a in conservation districts; and

 

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

 

        WHEREAS, because Ho     la Loko I   a 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 Ho     la Loko I   a to secure any county permits necessary for loko i   a 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 Ho     la Loko I   a for the restoration, repair, maintenance, and reconstruction of loko i   a 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