Bill Text: HI HR73 | 2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Critical Habitat Designation; United States Department of the Interior; Fish and Wildlife Service; County of Maui
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-04-04 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HR73 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2013-HR73-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
73 |
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TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
requesting the United states department of the interior fish and wildlife service to work with AFFECTED PERSONS AND counties to establish reasonable critical habitat DESIGNATIONs for endangered species in the state.
WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has recently proposed to designate 271,062 acres in Maui County as critical habitat for endangered species, which is more than double the amount of critical habitat already designated on the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe; and
WHEREAS, on Maui, more than 190,000 acres are proposed for Critical Habitat Designation, which is equivalent to about 41 percent of the total land area of Maui; and
WHEREAS, this overly-broad proposed Critical Habitat Designation affecting state, county, and private lands will have a negative impact on Maui County, and opponents describe this proposal as the taking of land without compensation; and
WHEREAS, an environmental impact statement should be considered before the proposed Critical Habitat Designation is finalized; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Critical Habitat Designation
has the potential to adversely affect landowners due to restrictions on future
use, lower property values, and increased lawsuits by activists; it may also
require costly and lengthy consultations between affected parties and
government agencies, stymie decision-making by state and county governments,
jeopardize the ability to farm and ranch, hinder sustainability practices, and hurt
the relationship between the public and the federal government; and
WHEREAS, some of the proposed areas for Critical Habitat Designation are
state-owned parcels that may be leased to farmers and ranchers, and some are
within irrigation water lease areas, raising the concern about diminished availability
of irrigation water, which is especially important in this time of severe
drought; and
WHEREAS, the economic impact to Maui County may have been greatly underestimated by federal officials; and
WHEREAS, even though significant portions of many Maui County farms and ranches are being proposed for designation, many of these farmers and ranchers were not adequately notified of the proposed designation by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and
WHEREAS, in determining which properties are proposed for Critical Habitat Designation, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has acknowledged that it did not make specific determinations as to whether endangered species are located on the properties or whether the properties have the biological elements necessary to support endangered species; and
WHEREAS, farmers, ranchers, hunters, and others who may be affected by Critical Habitat Designation are not opposed to designating critical habitat for endangered species in appropriate areas such as public lands that are set aside to provide for preservation or rehabilitation, or private lands where the landowner voluntarily agrees to the designation; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of
the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013,
that the United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service is
requested to work with affected persons and counties to establish reasonable
Critical Habitat Designations for endangered species in the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be
transmitted to the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior; Governor;
Mayor of the County of Maui; Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu; Mayor of
the County of Hawaii; Mayor of the County of Kauai; Chairperson of the Board of
Land and Natural Resources; and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the
Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Critical Habitat Designation; United States Department of the Interior; Fish and Wildlife Service; County of Maui
