Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Environment

We'd like to convene our joint committee with the Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs and our good friends from the Committee on Agriculture and Environment on this Friday, April 17 at 03:00 in the afternoon here in Room 224. This hearing is being streamed live on YouTube. If we have any kind of catastrophic technical difficulties, we'll post a public notice as to when we will reconvene. We ask those who are willing and have a desire to testify to limit your testimony to two minutes.

We have one measure on this agenda that is house Concurrent Resolution 2206 h d one regarding the Hawaii State Energy Office and data centers.

On our testifiers list, we have John Itamura or someone from the PUC. As hi. Welcome. Thank you, Jean. Mark Glick or someone from the energy office?

This is Chris Yanker from the Hawaii State Energy office. We stand on our written testimony providing comments and are available for questions. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Chris.

Ted Bolin and two other individuals have submitted commentary as well. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on house compared resolution two zero six? If not, members of the committee, any questions? If not, we'll take a brief recess as we gather quorum. Thank you for your patience.

We're reconvening our joint committees for the Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs and the Committee of Agriculture and the Environment. We just heard testimony and read testimony on House Concurrent Resolution 206 HD1. The two Chairs have conferred. We'd like to pass this resolution out unamended for the members of EIG. We don't have quorum, unfortunately. So we will be making decisions on this measure on Tuesday, April 21 at 2PM in Room 225.

And for AEN, any discussion? Chair votes aye. Acting vice chair, Rhodes.

Chair's recommendation on HCR 206 is I'm sorry. I totally missed the recommendation.

as is.

As is. Yep. Chair Gabbard votes yes, vice chair's excused, Senator DeCoite is excused, I'll vote yes. Senator Waugh?

Aye.

Recommendations adopt.

Thank you, members.

We'll return.

Afternoon. We're convening the joint committees on water, land, culture, and the arts, and agriculture, and the environment on our 03:01pm agenda here in State Capital Conference Room 224. Before us is HCR 31, recognizing 2026 as the international year of rangelands and pastoralists in Hawaii. We have testimony on Zoom first from the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council.

Thank you, chairs, vice chairs, members of the committees. My name is Nicole Galassi. I'm testifying on behalf of the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council. We're in strong support of this bill, which asks the legislature to recognize the international year of rangelands and pastoralists. You often hear us talking about the rain the benefits in our testimony.

But earlier this morning, we actually saw it in action with the rainfall simulator during a a field trip with middle school children. So we had different plots of land that were managed in different ways. And what we saw clearly was that the areas where there were managed grazing resulted in lots of groundwater infiltration and less runoff. This is something we can see in action, and so we really ask that you support this because supporting ranches also means supporting food production. Mahalo.

Thank you very much. We also have testimony from a number of folks who submitted written testimony, but that's everyone who had signed up to testify in person. Is there anyone else here wishing to testify in this measure? Hearing none. Are there any questions?

Hearing none. Alright. That is the only measure on our agenda. I'll just note for everyone's, edification. We have a water land only agenda for DM only that we added to the end of our 3PM agenda.

So, as we wait for quorum on our side, why don't Aye, you guys have quorum, right? Yep. Why don't I make a recommendation here so the other committee can begin. So for HCR 31 recommendation is to pass as is. We'll defer our water land vote until we are able to get quorum.

So recess out of water land, but I'll turn it over to our co chair.

Okay, and so for AEN, any discussion on this measure? Chair votes aye, acting Vice Chair Rhodes.

Chair's recommendation on each chair's 31 is to pass unamended. Chair Gabbard votes aye. Vice Chair is excused. Senator DeCoite's excused. I'll vote yes.

Senator Wong? Aye. Recommendation's adopted. Thank you, members.

Thank you. So for Waterland Committee as I mentioned we have additional measures for decision making. So we'll recess until we have quorum. Recess.

Good afternoon. My hope for joining the AEN HHS hearing. It's Friday, April 17, and we're in Room 224. In the unlikely event that this hearing's interrupted, we'll reconvene at a later date to address any outstanding business. It'll be a one minute time limit for all testifiers, and we'll have a virtual countdown timer.

So first, HCR 33 encouraging Hawaii County in collaboration with the Pua Co Community Department of Health and other stakeholders to complete the Pua Co Sewage Project. We have six in support, zero opposed. Anyone here wishing to testify on this? Is there anyone online? Okay.

You okay with that, Alexis?

Yep. Okay. Can we go to decision making?

Yes. We can.

Okay. To reference

have an amendment to

What? We

Oh, there are Oh,

Oh, yeah.

there is an amendment. Yeah.

What's the proposed amendment?

It's to add Hilo as a stakeholder. Okay. We asked for that. Yeah. So on decision making, the recommendation will be to pass with amendment to include the University of Hawaii at Hilo as a stakeholder and a resource for research, environmental monitoring, and technical assistance in the planning and implementation of the Poco suited project.

All right, so we'll go into decision making. Any questions, concerns? For AEN, the chair votes aye. Chair's recommendation

on ACR 33 is to pass with amendments. Chair Gabbard votes aye, vice chair's excused. Senator DeCoite's excused. I'll vote yes. Senator O'Loite.

Aye. Okay.

Recommendation's adopted. Thank you, ma'am.

Okay. So for HHS, we are awaiting quorum. Favella is not here. We don't we we can't we don't have quorum. We're gonna defer decision making to Tuesday, April 21 at 11:15AM in Room 225.

Okay. And that concludes the agenda.

All right. Good afternoon. We're reconvening the Committee on Water, Land, Culture, and the Arts for decision making. We have up first the agenda. We just went through, jointly with the Committee on Agriculture and the Environment on our 03:01pm agenda on HCR 31 recognizing 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in Hawaii.

Recommendations measure is to pass as is. If there's no discussion, we can vote.

I have it. Ready? Yeah. Okay. Okay.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Members for Water and Land and Culture and the Arts for HDR 31.

Recommendation of the chair is to pass unamended. Chair Lee.

Aye.

Vice chair Inouye is excused. Senator Chang is also excused. Senator Lamosao with an aye. Senator DeCorte.

Aye.

Chair recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. We'll go to our 01:15pm agenda which we had deferred previously to the end of our three 1PM agenda. So beginning with HCR 36, establishing a sister state relationship between the state of Hawaii and Prefecture Of Okayama, recognition is to pass as is. If there's no discussion, acting vice chair.

For HCR 36 recommendation of the chair is to pass unamended, noting an excused absence of Senator Inouye and also Senator Chang for the remainder of the agenda. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no? Hearing none, chair, all other members present, vote aye. Your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you. Moving on to HCR 19, designating the month of March as March for Water Month in Hawaii. Recommendation is to pass as is.

It was HCR 19.

HCR 19.

Yeah. For HCR 19, recommendation is to pass unamended. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no? Hearing none, Chair, all other members vote aye. Your recommendation adopted.

Thank you. Up next is HCR 162, requesting the establishment of an arts and data mapping task force. Recommendations to pass as is.

For HCR 162, recommendation of the chair is to pass unamended. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no? Hearing none, chair all members vote present will Aye, your commission is adopted.

Thank you. Moving on to HCR 61, urging the Department of Land and Natural Resources to work with its partners to increase investment in policies, incentives, workforce, and nursery capacity to reforest whole use of public and private lands. Recommendation is to pass as is.

Gracie, R60, you want a probation Oh, any discussion, I guess, chair? Sorry.

Yeah. No. I'm I'm assuming there's not a ton of discussion. So just chime in if you'd like. Okay.

Otherwise, for the vote.

Okay. Anyone want president wanting to vote with reservations or no? Hearing none, chair, your participation is adopted.

Thank you. HCR 106, endorsing Waikiki as a world surfing reserve. Recommendation is to pass as is. There'll be no further discussion, acting vice chair.

Okay. HCR 106, recommendation of the chair is to pass unamended. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no? Hearing none, chair, recommendation is adopted.

Thank you. Moving on HCR 14. Excuse me. HCR 14, authorizing the issuance of a perpetual non exclusive easement covering a portion of state submerged lands, at wildlife for existing drainage purposes. Recommendation is to pass with amendments, making technical non substantive amendments to reference correct, the correct chapter of Hawaii Revised Statutes and correctly named DAGS, Land Survey Division, and the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

There's no discussion on that. Acting vice chair for the vote.

HCR 14 HD one recommendation of the chair is to pass with amendments. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no? Hearing none, chair your recommendation is adopted.

Thank you. And finally in HCR 178.

Oh that's not the final one. The final one

on this page that I'm looking at. HCR 178, urging the Department of Land and Natural Resources to prioritize issuing a set aside to the County Of Maui through an executive order by the governor to support the management of Public Trust Water Resources on Maui. Recommendations to pass as is. If there's no discussion on that. Thank you.

For ETR 170 HD one recommendation of the chair is to pass as is. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no? Hearing none, chair your recommendation is adopted.

Vice chair.

Thank you. Moving on to HCR 179, urging the Ahamoku Advisory Committee to follow its adopted rules of practice, statutory duties, and a number of other things. Recommendations to pass with amendments. We wanna, I think, have progress addressing some of the issues the resolution raises. And as this moves forward what we'd like to do is add in a working group.

Which would include a member appointed by the Senate, member appointed by the House, representation from the Ahamoku Advisory Committee, DLNR and Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and amongst them take a look at these issues and report back for the twenty twenty seven legislative session. We'll also make technical non substantive amendments and clean up the be it resolved clauses accordingly.

And hopefully we can actually get some progress sorting out some of these issues recognizing that it's difficult to convene people across multiple islands but also that transparency and accountability is important. If there's no discussion, vice chair.

Okay. For HCR 179 recommendation of the chair sorry. HCR 179 HD one. Remission of the chairs to pass with amendments. Anyone present wanting to vote with reservations or no?

Hearing none, chair your confirmation is adopted.

Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Appreciate your patience. That is the end of our 01:15pm agenda and our agendas today. We're adjourned.

Okay. Gambling in our AEN only agenda for 03:05PM here in Room 224. We have three items on the agenda starting off with HCR 117, urging the governor to assess food and security conditions and implement a statewide food security response plan. First up is, Lauren Zirbel on Zoom for Hawaii Food Industry Association. Are you there?

Are you there?

Not present on Zoom, chair.

Okay. In support. Also, Connor Birdsall. Connor?

Aloha, chair Gabbard, vice chair Richards, and committee members. My name is Connor Bertsell, and I strongly support HCR 117. As a 17 year old high school senior, I urge you to support this resolution because as a society, Hawaii needs food sustainability now. We're living in a time when we've seen the dangers and the possibility of destruction during COVID nineteen when lockdown occurred, and the cargo ships didn't come. I was 11 and was scared for me, my family, my community, and Hawaii as a whole.

We need to have a sustainable food source here because now we're at risk of war and losing cargo ships accessibility here. We've seen the delays in the federal help regarding the flooding from the Kona Low only a few weeks ago. So much to the delays during hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. We have to stop relying on the Federal Government to come save us in our time and need. We need to be learn to be become independent, sustainable, and think about our people first. And this

begins with sustainability in our food. This is why I support this resolution. I urge all all those I am speaking to to support HCR 117, which will benefit us all. Let's move forward as a whole and create a better future for all of in Hawaii. Mahalo.

Thank you, Connor. Next is, Leymana Cooler on Zoom.

Hi. Aloha nui Kaku. My name is Leymana. I support HCR 117. Our food security in Hawaii is constantly threatened, and it's very fragile, unfortunately.

One hiccup, whether it's natural disaster or manmade, threatens all of us as far as food security goes. I believe Hawaii can be food sovereign again. However, it's gonna take a coordinated effort, resources, and support from government and lawmakers. So, yeah, I urge you folks to support. Mahalo for your time.

Thank you very much. Anyone else wishing to testify on HCR 117? Members, any questions? Moving on to HCR 103, affirming support for the expansion of programs and projects that increase tree canopy coverage and install shade trees in urban areas to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands across the state. First up is Chris Caulfield.

I don't see Chris here. Both in support. Cathy Goguel. Not present. Okay.

So, no one to ask questions of, we'll move on to the next measure. HCR 180, urging the Department of Ag and Biosecurity to explore and pursue opportunities to collocate community based renewable energy generating projects with agriculture reservoirs and irrigation water infrastructure.

Jennifer Yoshimura from Molokai Clean Energy HUI on Zoom.

Aloha mai kākou, Chair Gabbard, Vice chair Richards, and members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment. My name is Jennifer Yoshimura, and I'm the Energy Director for Sustainable Molokai and a member of the Molokai Clean Energy HUI. Mahalo nui for the time to speak today, and I'm here to strongly support HCR 180.

I wanna thank Senator Lynn DeCoite for her ongoing support Clean Energy Committee, which has received and continue to receive support from the state of Hawaii PUC, State Energy Office, HECO, and our elected officials, as well as other industry leaders in support of the Molokai Community Energy Resilience Action Plan or CERAP, which prioritizes Molokai's culture and values first in energy pathways and community decision making toward achieving 100% renewable clean energy for the island of Molokai.

Floating Photovoltaics or FPV in Qualapu'u Reservoir is one of 10 projects identified by the Molokai community in CERAP, and it can support up to 50% of the island's energy needs.

Initial pre feasibility analysis shows that there's added benefits having FPV on the reservoir, with evaporation savings, improved water quality, reduced land disturbance, and greater energy stability for residents on Molokai. HCR 180 supports FPV and Molokai in achieving their renewable energy goals while supporting water, land, and food systems. Mahalo for your time.

Okay, Jennifer. Any questions members?

A question for you, Jennifer. How far along is the floating PV at Qualapu'u Reservoir project that you described in your testimony?

How far? Sorry.

How far along is it?

So we, the Molokai Clean Energy Hui is in the process of utilizing $1,400,000 from the Department of Energy to achieve up to 30% engineering design by the September. We completed initial feasibility analysis and looking to utilize the federal funds, to progress the project forward to 30%.

Okay. Alright. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next is Leilani Chow from Oahu Energy Co-op Molokai, Molokai Clean Energy Hui on Zoom. Leilani, there you are.

Aloha mai kākou and the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment. My name is Leilani, and I'm very grateful for this opportunity, chair. Testimony of strong community support for HR 170 and HCR 180. I've had the honor of serving my Molokai community in the areas of energy efficiency and community led energy planning for the past sixteen years, and the community trust me to responsibly and advocate for their needs and preferences when it comes to Molokai's clean energy future.

What I wanna share with you all today is a little bit about how the floating solar project on the State Department of Ag and Biosecurity's Qualapu'u Reservoir came about.

I'd like to use this time to exemplify credible dedication, time, and serious consideration Molokai has put into the selection and expiration of this project so far. So in 2021, HECO and the PUC support Molokai leading their own Community Energy Resilience Action Plan or CERAP as we call it.

Right away, the community identifies floating solar as a generation technology that's in alignment with their goals and values, and it gathers a lot of interest for the potential benefits to both energy and ag counties on Molokai.

From 2022 to 2026, we've had the help of well respected technical experts such as Manoa's Hawaii Natural Energy Institute led by Mark Lick and the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Labs and the National Lab of the Rockies confirm electrical and water related benefits and considerations for FPV.

Over the past four years, the details and the trade offs for FPV have been shared at over 2,800 plus individual community conversations collected through 1,395 surveys at 51 plus focus groups and workshop discussions and over 40 island wide community events.

This project has remained a high priority for the community, and we humbly ask for your support on HR 170, and HCR 180 to provide the Department of Ag and Biosecurity the encouragement and legislative backing needed to partner with the multi Clean Energy Hui in this exploration. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much, Leilani. Next is Audrey Newman on Zoom.

Aloha, chair sorry. Aloha, Chair Gabbard. It's lovely to see you again. It's been many, many years but we worked together on the Hawaii Green Growth Initiative before. It's my pleasure to strongly support this resolution.

I've lived on Molokai for over 25, 24 years now, and I have, I am part of the founding, group of the Molokai Clean Energy Hui and the ongoing executive team that supports the staff. The Jennifer and Leilani have already kind of given you the big picture about how important floating solar is for Molokai and how strongly supported it is by our community.

The process that the team has gone through is truly extraordinary and inspiring and a great example of how you can engage a community in real decision making. So I just want to really quickly highlight its value to the state. So, floating solar is a growing industry.

It's used widely in China. It's just starting to be used in The United States, and there are many reservoirs across Hawaii that could have this potential. It increases the effectiveness of the solar by, I think, about 15%. And, as Jennifer said, we have the money to complete this, the feasibility studies and the answers from those feasibility studies will help inform us on Molokai but also help us think about this as an opportunity across the state.

Our Qualapu'u project meets all the action items called for in this resolution, so it would be a perfect pilot.

And the Department of Ag and Biosecurity's cooperation and this is essential because they we need to have access to the reservoir in order to do the next set of studies.

Thank you, Newman.

Greatly appreciate.

Your time's up.

Thank you, Newman. Anyone else wishing to testify on HCR 180?

Any questions?

Okay. Members, if I'm sorry with you, we'll just go right into the decision making.

Starting off with HCR 117, urging the governor to assess food insecurity oh. Oh, sorry. Sorry. That was Audrey Newman. I called the wrong one instead of Johnny May.

Excuse me. So on HCR 117, urging the governor to assess food insecurity conditions and implement a statewide food security response plan. Chair's recommendation will be to pass as is. Any discussion? Chair votes aye.

Chair's recommendation on HCR 117 is to pass as is. Chair Gabbard votes yes. Vice chair is excused. Senator DeCoite is excused. I'll vote yes.

Senator Awa?

Aye.

My recommendation is adopted.

Thank you, members. HCR 103 is the next measure affirming support for the expansion of programs and projects that increase tree canopy coverage and install shade trees in urban areas to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands across the state. Chair's recommendation would be to pass as is. Any discussion? Sure.

Yes. Yeah.

Real quick. It's only a result, so I'll go for it. But I wanna point out that during the storms in Kaneohe Kahalu'u, what we saw was a lot of these shade trees on the side of the road go down and branches fall off. So, yeah, we have the need for tree shade trees, but over at Kahului, I will say that our food trees never fought out. So maybe we should really think of what we plant.

Okay. Alright. So, chair votes aye. Acting vice chair?

Chair's recommendation, HCR 103 is to pass unamended. Chair Gabbard votes aye. Vice chair's excused. Senator DeCoite's excused. I'll vote yes.

Senator Awa?

Aye.

Recommendation's adopted.

Thank you, members. And ACR 180, version of the Department of Ag and Biosecurity to explore and pursue opportunities to co locate community based renewable energy and generating projects with ag reservoirs and irrigation water infrastructure. Chair's recommendation be to pass as is. Any discussion? Chair votes aye.

Acting vice chair.

Check. Chair's recommendation on ACR 180 is to pass unamended. Chair Gabbard votes yes. Vice chair's excused. Senator DeCoite is excused.

I'll vote yes. Senator Wong? Aye. Recommendation's adopted.

Okay. Thank you very much, members. And that concludes the three zero five agenda. Okay. Calling to order the three ten agenda of AEN on decision making, GVO AEN on decision making.

GVO has already done their decision making, and so AEN will do theirs. Now this is on HCR 100 and forty four HD two requesting the Department of Ag and Biosecurity to collaborate with state and county agencies and community based organizations to develop a comprehensive statewide food security strategy. So the, the recommendation is to pass as is. Any discussion? Chair votes aye for AEM.

Chair's recommendation, HCR 144 is to pass as is. Chair Gabbard votes aye. Vice chair's excused. Senator Decoy DeCoite is excused. I'll vote yes.

Senator Watt? Aye. Recommendation's not.

Thank you very much. And that concludes the three ten agenda.