Hawaii-2024-HCR148-Introduced

WHEREAS, on August 8, 2023, catastrophic wildfires swept through various communities on the island of Maui; and

WHEREAS, the wildfires impacted human life, the community, housing, education, the economy, the environment, and the health of Maui residents; and

WHEREAS, a significant issue regarding fire safety is the presence of grasses, trees, and other vegetation adjacent to or under electric utility lines; and

WHEREAS, in response to the wildfires, the House of Representatives established six interim working groups charged with evaluating specific topics related to the wildfires and making recommendations for specific legislative action; and

WHEREAS, the Wildfire Prevention Working Group, as one of the six aforementioned working groups, found that people are the primary drivers of wildfires in Hawaii, as ninety-nine percent of wildfires are caused by human ignitions; and

WHEREAS, the Wildfire Prevention Working Group also found that guinea grass, fountain grass, molasses grass, and buffelgrass can form continuous fuel beds, ignite easily, attain extremely high fine fuel loads, and are capable of growing back more vigorously in the post-fire environment than the majority of native vegetation; and

WHEREAS, utility companies have miles of utility lines installed throughout the State on government and private land, including within the public rights of way and mountainous areas of the State; and

WHEREAS, a significant portion of the aforementioned public and private lands is covered with unmanaged grasses, trees, and other vegetation that may pose wildfire risk; and

WHEREAS, further study is necessary for policy, regulation, and guidance pertaining to the management of and responsibility for vegetation on public and private lands for wildlife risk mitigation purposes; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is urged to convene a Vegetation Management Working Group to study, evaluate, and make recommendations regarding regulations that define property owner obligations to perform vegetation management on public and private property for purposes of wildfire risk mitigation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Vegetation Management Working Group is requested to focus on solutions to reduce wildfire risk and the possibility of establishing a vegetation management program as it relates to landowners and public utilities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Vegetation Management Working Group is requested to include the following members:

(1) The Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources or the Chairperson's designee, who is requested to serve as the chairperson of the Working Group;

(2) The Director of Transportation, or the Director's designee;

(3) The Chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission, or the Chairperson's designee;

(4) A representative of the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, with experience in matters related to regulated public utilities, to be appointed by the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs;

(5) A representative of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council;

(6) A member of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(7) A member of the Senate, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;

(8) The mayor of each county, or the mayor's designee;

(9) A representative of a cooperative electric utility;

(10) A representative of an investor-owned electric utility;

(11) A representative of a telecommunications carrier;

(12) A representative of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1260; and

(13) A landowner that owns more than one thousand acres of land in the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Working Group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Working Group is requested to dissolve on June 30, 2025; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Director of Transportation; Chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission, who in turn is requested to provide copies of this Concurrent Resolution to regulated telecommunications carriers; Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Health; Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; President of the University of Hawaii; mayor of each county; President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.; Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative; President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1260; and President of the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Vegetation Management Working Group; Wildfire Risk Mitigation

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	148
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII