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add the provision to modify those powers, duties and functions to also be, not just by
<br />ordinance and not just solid waste, but also as directed by the Mayor. I think that's important
<br />and very good. Along that same line, if you look up in the section 6 -10.2, I don't see that
<br />section is proposed to be modified, and I think it is very limiting. Right now it says, "The
<br />Department of Environmental Management is established to protect, preserve, and enhance
<br />our environment by promoting the wise management of our waste." I will write all of this
<br />up; but since these are on the agenda now, I want to just run through them. I would cross out
<br />"...by promoting the wise management of our waste." You talk about the powers and duties
<br />down in 6 -10.4, and I don't think you should really have where this policy statement of what
<br />the purpose of this department is to be limited. I'm just going to give a specific practical
<br />example. I've been trying to go through a number of different grants that are available, and I
<br />was helping people do some for the Hawaiian Tourism Authority and also a lot of the Federal
<br />grants, and it would nice on some of those environmental ones to have nice statement here on
<br />what the department is, and if you put the wise management of our waste, that doesn't have
<br />to do with something like self - sufficiency and environmental concerns. So I just think that
<br />you ought to consider revising Section 6 -10 too.
<br />One of the questions that keeps coming up is what about issues of sustainability, and whether
<br />they would become also long term economic development. I know at one point Mayor Kenoi
<br />in one of his submissions talked about if Research and Development should also be
<br />considered Economic Development, or what do we do with Food and Energy Sustainability,
<br />and I think Environmental Management said, "no," we really don't think that should be under
<br />our department, or it's not under us, should it be under Research and Development. I just
<br />think there is a lot of confusion, it's all getting shifted around, and I'm afraid it's going to get
<br />lost. So again, here is an issue - -you are not meeting again for another 10 years - -where the
<br />whole focus is on self - sufficiency and sustainability, and perhaps there is a way, despite the
<br />economic circumstances, to establish a Department of Agriculture, Energy, and Economic
<br />Sustainability. I think that you would, twenty -fold, get money if you did that, to promote
<br />agriculture and economic self - sufficiency, including promotion of small scale community-
<br />based farming initiatives, or to coordinate with governmental agencies to enhance agriculture
<br />and energy, and economic sustainability; all of those things. When I read through the
<br />minutes, and I read through the different responses, it's sort of being looked at and being
<br />pushed elsewhere. If you just look up, whatever it is, grants.gov, these are the words that you
<br />want to have in there. To the extent that you all can assist with that, I think that this goes
<br />along with Mayor Kenoi's bit that we may need to hire additional people to move us forward,
<br />just as Obama said that is critical.
<br />Fourth is Communication 41, which is by Mike Johnson. He is addressing looking at the
<br />Ethics Board, and just asking that you consider - -and I think that this will come up later, but
<br />just to comment on it - -that there should be a separate entity for ethics violations. My
<br />understanding is that right now enforcement is by referral to the Council and the Mayor. I'm
<br />not sure what the right answer is, but his communication addresses the current problem, and I
<br />think that there is certainly a feeling of what dealing with conflict of interest issues. To the
<br />extent that you can address that, that would be great. I don't know whether this person is
<br />here or not, so I just raise that concern since it is on your agenda, Communication 41.
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