Bill Text: HI SCR75 | 2021 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting The Office Of Planning To Convene An Interdisciplinary Task Force To Develop A Framework For A Sea Level Adaptation And Resilience Plan For The Waikiki District.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-04-01 - Referred to WAL/EEP, FIN, referral sheet 32 [SCR75 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2021-SCR75-Amended.html
THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
75 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF PLANNING TO CONVENE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR A SEA LEVEL ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE PLAN FOR THE WAIKIKI DISTRICT.
WHEREAS, Hawaii is experiencing the impacts
of climate change, including the effects of sea level rise and coastal erosion,
which is of particular concern to the State given our island topography and
substantial coastal exposure; and
WHEREAS, the Senate of the Twenty-Ninth
Legislature of the State of Hawaii, 2017, created the Hawaii Climate Change
Mitigation and Adaptation Commission ("Climate Commission"), which
published the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report detailing
findings and recommendations for mitigating and adapting to sea-level rise; and
WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu
established the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency
("OCCSR") by City Charter in 2016, to promote community resilience
and, among other recommended actions, to preserve natural shorelines and
beaches as buffers to protect coastal communities; and
WHEREAS, the OCCSR is tasked with tracking
climate change science and potential impacts on Oahu's facilities and communities,
coordinating actions and policies of the county's departments to increase
community preparedness and resilience, supporting resilient infrastructure in
response to the impacts of climate change, and integrating sustainable and
environmental values into Oahu plans, programs, and policies, in part, through
the City's resilience strategy; and
WHEREAS, the Waikiki Special Improvement
District is a low elevation, high-density, urban coastal community that is home
to approximately thirty thousand residents. Prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic,
Waikiki hosted approximately five million tourists annually and generated about
thirty percent of the gross domestic product of the State. The condition of this district is vitally
important for its residents, visitors, public and private property, and for the
economic well-being of the entire State; and
WHEREAS, research has shown that inundation
and flooding of Waikiki related to climate change will occur from multiple sources:
storm drain backflow, groundwater
inundation, wave run-up and marine hydrostatic (passive) flooding, heavy precipitation,
and watershed flooding associated with extreme weather events; and
WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu
established the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association in 2015
to improve the coordination and management of the beach systems in Waikiki, and
the Association has been engaged in comprehensive adaptation planning and
actively managing Waikiki's beach systems for resilience to projected climate
change impacts, including sea-level rise; and
WHEREAS, Waikiki like so many of the other
resort communities in the State, is in a sea level rise exposure area and
requires a comprehensive adaptation and resilience plan to deal with projected
climate change and sea-level rise; and
WHEREAS, Waikiki can serve as a pilot and
demonstration project for other coastal communities that may develop a
comprehensive sea-level rise adaptation and community resilience plan for the protection
of its residents, visitors, critical infrastructure, and public and private
property; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Office of Planning's
Coastal Zone Management Program is to preserve, protect, and develop the coastal
lands for the benefit of the residents of Hawaii, which includes ensuring that Hawaii's
tourism industry remains a healthy economic industry. The Office of Planning also has the expertise
to effectively coordinate the diverse public and private stakeholders in
preparing a Waikiki resilience plan; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest not
only of the Waikiki Special District but, other coastal communities, the City
and County of Honolulu, and the State of Hawaii to support a Waikiki task force
to proactively create a framework for a sea-level rise mitigation and
adaptation plan for the Waikiki community; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-First
Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, the House of
Representatives concurring, that the Office of Planning is requested to convene
an interdisciplinary task force to develop a framework for a comprehensive sea
level adaptation and resilience plan for the Waikiki Special District; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force
is requested to include the following members or their designees:
(1) Director of Planning, who is requested to serve as the chairperson of the task force;
(2) President of the Senate;
(3) Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(4) A representative of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management;
(5) Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources;
(6) State Sustainability Coordinator;
(7) Chief Engineer of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Engineering Division;
(8) Administrator of the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands;
(9) President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority;
(10) Director of the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Programs;
(11) Director of the University of Hawaii Community Design Center;
(12) Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting;
(13) Executive Director of the City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience;
(14) Councilmember of the Honolulu City Council representing Waikiki;
(15) President of the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association;
(16) Chairperson of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board;
(17) Executive Director of the Land Use Research Foundation;
(18) President of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association;
(19) President of Save Our Surf; and
(20) Executive Committee Chairperson of the Surfrider Foundation, Oahu Chapter; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force
may invite additional organizations or agencies to participate in the task
force; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Planning
is requested to provide administrative support for the task force; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force
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 2023; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified
copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office for Coastal
Management; Director of Planning; Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural
Resources; State Sustainability Coordinator; Chief Engineer of the Department
of Land and Natural Resources' Engineering Division; Administrator of the
Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands; President and Chief Executive Officer
of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; Director of the University of Hawaii Sea Grant
College Program; Director of the University of Hawaii Community Design Center;
Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and
Permitting; Executive Director of the City and County of Honolulu Office of
Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience; Chairperson of the Honolulu City
Council; President of the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District
Association; Chairperson of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board; President of the Hawaii
Lodging and Tourism Association; Executive Director of the Land Use Research
Foundation; President of Save Our Surf; and Chairperson of the Surfrider Oahu
Executive Committee.
Interdisciplinary Task Force; Sea Level Adaptation Resilience Plan; Waikiki District