HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	127
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS REGARDING FUGITIVE DUST.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, many acres of former agricultural land in the State have become vacant for various reasons; and

 

     WHEREAS, in windy conditions, large dust storms arise from these lands; and

 

     WHEREAS, the dust storms deposit precious topsoil into the ocean, thereby damaging the reefs and the marine environment, as well as detrimentally affecting the health of the residents downwind; and

 

     WHEREAS, although the Department of Health's Clean Air Branch regulates the discharge of fugitive dust in the State and imposes penalties for violations, existing rules do not require land owners to have fugitive dust mitigation plans approved by the Director of Health and the existing penalty structure does not consider the scale of the dust emission; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is a disincentive for owners of large areas of vacant undeveloped land to take immediate action to control fugitive dust discharge from their lands to preserve the topsoil, prevent contamination of the marine environment, and protect the health and safety of the nearby communities; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service is urged to:

 

     (1)  Create an updated list of reasonable precautions that a landowner may take to prevent visible fugitive dust from the land from becoming airborne, particularly when the land is vacant and undeveloped;

 

     (2)  Specify the best practical operations or treatments an owner of vacant undeveloped land may take or implement to prevent visible fugitive dust that originates from the land from being discharged beyond the land's lot line;

 

     (3)  Urge each owner of vacant, undeveloped land in the State to submit to the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service a fugitive dust mitigation plan for the owner's vacant undeveloped land; and

 

     (4)  Review calculations for dust impacts during fallow periods of crop production and recommend best practices to minimize impacts to downwind communities; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service is requested to monitor fugitive dust across the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the United States Secretary of Agriculture and head of the Pacific Islands Area State Office of the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Report Title:

United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service; Fugitive Dust; Property