Tag: Testimony

  • Farm Land in double jeprody

    Posting courtesy of Laura Thielen.

    Please read this, and if you are concerned about what is happening, cut and paste the email addresses at the bottom and send an email to the Legislature TODAY.

    The Legislature is poised to pass two bills that will eradicate more high quality farmland than Ho’opili.

    SB 2341 allows vacation rentals on agricultural lands, including the highest production lands.  Even worse, vacation rentals can be the primary use, no farming is required.

    SB 2350 doubles the number of houses permitted on agricultural lots with one ohana dwelling for each farm dwelling.*

    If these bills pass, the number of houses built on agricultural lands will dramatically increase and agricultural lots will be priced for their vacation rental value, not their farming potential.

    The expansion of tourism has already transformed other areas, like Windward Oahu.  The density of some communities doubled when ohana units were allowed.  The vacation rental market dominates many neighborhoods, affecting home prices.

    Nearly 16,000 acres of farmland on Oahu’s North Shore are being marketed for great views or access to the ocean.  These qualities aren’t relevant to farming; they’re relevant to tourism.  The bill permitting vacation rentals as a primary use will destroy any ability to assure these lands remain available for agricultural production.

    The price of Oahu farmland is nearly out of reach for food farms today.  These bills will make it impossible for food farms to operate.  The vast majority of Oahu’s food is grown on rented land.  Will landlords force farms to close when neighboring vacation rentals complain about noise, or when they realize they can increase their rental income by transforming all or some of the property to vacation rentals?

    The Department of Agriculture, Office of Planning, and City and County of Honolulu have all testified against these bills and the Farm Bureau has raised serious concerns.

    Our Constitution requires the State to assure the availability of agricultural lands for agriculture.  The law requires directing non-agricultural uses away from the best farmland.  Several bills before the Legislature this session support increasing local food production.

    How is it that the Legislature on one hand says it supports agriculture, but on the other hand takes action to pass laws that will transform the agricultural district into the rural tourist district?

    The Senate unanimously passed both bills.  They are now at the House Committee on Water Land and Ocean Resources.

    Contact legislators at the links below and tell them to stop SB 2341 and SB 2350.

    Email addresses for Chair Jerry Chang, Vice Chair Sharon Har and Committee members:

    repchang@capitol.hawaii.gov; rephar@capitol.hawaii.gov; repcabanilla@capitol.hawaii.gov; repcarroll@capitol.hawaii.gov; repcoffman@capitol.hawaii.gov; repherkes@capitol.hawaii.gov; repito@capitol.hawaii.gov; repkawakami@capitol.hawaii.gov, repnakashima@capitol.hawaii.gov, repriviere@capitol.hawaii.gov, repthielen@capitol.hawaii.gov

    * While the ohana unit bill was amended to take out Oahu, it just as easily can be put back in, now or next year.

  • Caucus Testimony Policy

    Aloha Members of the Environmental Caucus of Hawai’i,

    As we enter this important next stage of our advocacy, the Steering Committee felt the need to set a testimony policy for those appearing on behalf of the Caucus. While individual members are always free to offer testimony on their own behalf, if you want to testify on behalf of the Caucus, we ask that you follow the policy we adopted at our last Steering Committee meeting.

    I have included a copy of that policy below.

    Caucus Testimony Policy

    Testimony on Bills before the Hawaii State Legislature may be provided on behalf of the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii as follows:

    1) Subcommittee Chairs, their designee and or those members designated by the Caucus Steering Committee may offer testimony on behalf of the Caucus on all measures officially adopted as Caucus priorities.  For the 2011 legislative session, there are 9 priorities and the intent is that there will be 9 identified Bills on which official Caucus testimony may be offered.

    2)  Subcommittee Chairs, their designee and or those members designated by the Caucus Steering Committee may offer testimony on behalf of the Caucus on all measures before the legislature that are substantially similar to those Bills officially adopted as Caucus priorities.

    3)  Subcommittee Chairs and or those members designated by the Caucus Steering Committee may offer testimony on behalf of the Caucus on any measures that have been otherwise approved by a majority of the Steering Committee.

    • Those seeking majority approval may circulate an e-mail request to the full Steering Committee asking for approval.
    • Only e-mail responses indicating approval will count as a yes vote.
    • Once the votes are in, the requester must e-mail a vote outcome to the Steering Committee, to ensure the votes were counted accurately.

    4)  Copies of all testimony given “on behalf of the Caucus” must be provided to the Steering Committee at the Steering Committee Meeting held following the presentation of the testimony.