Bill Text: HI HR159 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requesting The Legislative Reference Bureau To Conduct A Study On The Process That The Department Of Land And Natural Resources Uses To Remove Vessels Stranded In Nearshore Waters.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-13 - Referred to OMH, FIN, referral sheet 39 [HR159 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-HR159-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	159
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the legislative reference BUREAU TO conduct a study on the process that the Department of Land and Natural Resources uses to remove vessels stranded in nearshore waters.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the process of removing vessels found stranded in nearshore waters is in need of evaluation; and

 

     WHEREAS, one example of a vessel stranded in nearshore waters is a commercial fishing vessel called the Pacific Paradise that ran aground on the beaches of Waikiki on October 10, 2017; and

 

     WHEREAS, salvage crews working on the Pacific Paradise took nearly two months to remove the vessel through various means and eventually brought the vessel further out to sea to be sunk, and during the time that the salvage efforts were being made, the vessel leaked oil and fuel, which caused a fire and damaged shallow reefs; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Pacific Paradise was successfully removed on December 7, 2017, after two months of various efforts to remove the vessel, including preparing and patching its hull, removing excess weight by pumping water, removing heavy spare parts including sheet metal and the rudder, and adding additional buoyancy while working in a challenging environment and weather; and

 

     WHEREAS, the delayed removal of the stranded vessel exposed the serious potential impact that stranded vessels can have on Hawaii's nearshore waters; and

 

     WHEREAS, delays in addressing future vessel strandings may have similar or even greater detrimental impacts on the environment; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to conduct a study on the process that the Department of Land and Natural Resources uses to remove stranded vessels in nearshore waters; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting the study, the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to:

 

     (1)  Review the department's process for the removal of vessels stranded in nearshore waters;

 

     (2)  Identify the environmental impacts on the State's nearshore resources that are caused by stranded vessels;

 

     (3)  Consider ways to minimize environmental impacts through the removal of stranded vessels;

 

     (4)  Examine the events that transpired during the Pacific Paradise vessel stranding;

 

     (5)  Make recommendations on measures to prevent similar vessel strandings in the future; and

 

     (6)  Provide an assessment of the extent of environmental and economic damages caused by the Pacific Paradise stranding; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to include in its study a response plan for future stranding events that includes possible ways to mitigate  the adverse effects of vessel strandings; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to submit its study, including proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2019; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Vessel Stranding; Nearshore Waters