21-07-28 EMC minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Status report on 2021 EMC Priorities — Each lead commissioner to provide brief report on assigned priorities (priorities are listed in the May 2021 meeting minutes). Chair Adams asked if any commissioners had updates to share. • Vice Chair Gaffney said the projects that he had described before are ongoing. The process to sewer Honokohau Small Boat Harbor is moving forward into the planning stage. There is a lot to understand and a lot to learn in the process. One of the problems that we face is there is not currently a connection from Kealakehe Parkway at Honokohau Harbor to the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Director has had several meetings with other developers besides the harbor, and including us in those discussions to try to see if that could be moved forward. Like everything else we do, it's extremely complicated. Timing is important. The developers need to be able to sell their land, but they cannot until they provide the sewage services required, so there are lots of pieces to the puzzle. But the good news is it's continuing to move forward, and the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation continue to be focused on getting it done. There are two major fish processors on this island, he said. They have come together and have provided the opportunity to provide the equipment, even, to process their fish waste, and then working with the County or with one of the County's contractors toward turning our mulch into really high -nutrient compost. So those discussions have just started, but basically one of the larger fish processors is willing to provide the equipment, the screw press, the drying bins, and so forth, to move that process forward. There are discussions going on as to where that will take place, and there are permitting issues and other things that will slow it down. Unfortunately there's about 50,000 pounds per month of fish waste on this island, but until all the permits and agreements are set, that fish waste will continue to be wasted. Lastly, you have probably heard the states of Maine and Oregon have passed extended producer responsibility bills, which basically puts the price on plastic before it becomes a cost issue for the citizens of a community. And essentially it's similar to the fees put on tires and batteries and things like that. He reached out to the Council Member for District 8, Holeka Inaba, and asked if there was something that the Council could do to support that process in the State. He in turn reached out to Rep. Nicole Lowen, and she has been introducing bills of this nature in the Legislature for two years. They have not moved forward yet, but she is a member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators. So she is working with legislators from Maine, Oregon, Washington State, and California, toward this end. So the good news is there is some progress on this subject, and If you are interested in supporting that, he recommends reaching out to your legislators in the Hawai'i Island delegation. Chair Adams asked if this might be a good topic to place on the agenda for the next EMC meeting. Vice Chair Gaffney recommended reaching out to Rep. Lowen to do a 3