Bill Text: HI SCR173 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: State Capitol; Reflecting Pools; Phytoremediation Technology

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-21 - (S) Referred to EDT/ENE, WAM. [SCR173 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-SCR173-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	173
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the APPROVAL, PLANNING, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LEGISLATURE'S PROPOSAL FOR THE INSTALLATION OF PHYTOREMEDIATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE REFLECTING PONDS SURROUNDING THE STATE CAPITOL.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the reflecting ponds surrounding the State Capitol have leaked stagnant water into the chamber level of the State Capitol in the past, including in 2008, and will probably do so again; and

 

     WHEREAS, the reflecting ponds were built without adequate filtration, thus preventing the stocking of fish to control algae growth; and

 

     WHEREAS, the growth of algae in the reflecting ponds has become an unsightly problem; and

 

     WHEREAS, with their uneven bottoms, the reflecting ponds are difficult to clean properly; and

 

     WHEREAS, it takes three janitors working ten half-days per month using enzymes and pumps to control algae growth in the reflecting ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, in a time of a state budget crisis, it costs more than $50,000 per year, not including electricity costs, to maintain the reflecting ponds; and

 

     WHEREAS, commercial phytoremediation, using plants to remove hazardous or environmentally destructive substances from the environment, is a technology that is gaining acceptance in commercial marketplaces and offers a low cost, non-toxic technique suitable for a variety of contaminated environments, including the clean-up of marine environments; and

 

     WHEREAS, phytoremediation technology is currently being explored as a form of best management practices for restoring impaired coastal waters, harbors, and drainages to improve and maintain water quality for public health and environmental protection; and

 

     WHEREAS, phytoremediation technology may also be useful for remediating the reflecting ponds and reducing the algae in the reflecting ponds through the installation of floating clusters of Hawaiian native plants; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State Capitol is listed on the Hawaii and National Registers of Historic Places; and

 

     WHEREAS, the reflecting ponds are considered an architectural feature of the State Capitol; and

 

     WHEREAS, any proposal to alter the architectural features of a property listed on the Hawaii or National Register of Historic Places must be submitted to the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources for review; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State Capitol is located in the Hawaii Capital Special Design District and the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting must approve of any changes; and

 

     WHEREAS, section 6E-8, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is the principal statutory provision addressing the review of the effects of proposed state projects for properties designated as historic; and

 

     WHEREAS, the management of the State Capitol building falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Accounting and General Services; and

 

     WHEREAS, any proposal to install phytoremediation technology in the reflecting ponds may be accomplished under existing statutes and regulations; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the House of Representatives concurring, that the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources is requested to treat this measure as the Legislature's proposal for the installation of phytoremediation technology in the reflecting ponds; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources is also requested to approve the proposed installation of phytoremediation technology in the reflecting ponds; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to develop a plan to implement this proposal; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources is also requested to cooperate with the Department of Accounting and General Services in developing a plan to implement this proposal; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services and the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources are requested to seek any required approvals from the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting, the National Register of Historic Places, and any other appropriate agency; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to implement the plan once the required approvals are obtained; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services and the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources report to the Legislature on their progress no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session until the project is completed; 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, Administrator of the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Comptroller, Director of the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting, Program Manager of the National Register of Historic Places, and United States Secretary of the Interior.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

State Capitol; Reflecting Pools; Phytoremediation Technology