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and if I don't go along with this, it's because of that. I feel I don't know how it would be set
<br />up—ten cents a gallon or whatever that would go, and that funding would go directly into the
<br />watershed from which you were drawing your water—for use by DLNR, DOFAW, whoever is
<br />doing work in maintaining and protecting our forests. This is somewhat of a finite resource. If
<br />we don't take care of our forests, we could lose the water, and another side small issue—well,
<br />it's not small, but the State had said it, our Mayor here has pointed out, that our waste disposal
<br />systems are potentially, especially in places like Hilo or Kailua-Kona where the population is
<br />bigger, are potentially threatening to contaminate our aquifers with bacteria. And, so that, the
<br />question is how do we remedy that? The cost of remedying that to get people to go from
<br />cesspools to septic or a new system are extremely high, and I would venture to say many people
<br />won't be able to afford to do that or even care to do it. This money or ecosystem service fee
<br />could, in effect, pay or help pay for those remediations that will not in the long run, I don't see a
<br />stopping making babies. There's going to be more and more people, and the contamination will
<br />get heavier. It needs to be addressed, and so I'm laying this on you. It's not your, it's not part of
<br />your plan, I know, but I'm, I'm very serious. This is, we need to start considering this all the
<br />way across. Thank you.
<br />FUKE: Can I respond? Yeah, I think that Commissioner Replogle brings up a very, you know,
<br />good point. It's a point, however, I think that needs to be addressed legislatively on a State-wide
<br />basis because when you're talking about water resource, you know, it applies all over, and the
<br />State Commission of Water Resource Management, they issue water well permits for the whole
<br />State and not only peculiar to the Island of Hawaii.
<br />It's just like the Geothermal Asset Fund, right? You know, you're talking about, because you
<br />know you kind of an impact, maybe not to the neighbors, but just the whole overall resource, and
<br />how do you kind of like recycle the benefits derived from harvesting that resource and putting it
<br />back, you know? Like you mentioned ecologically, you know, how do you do that?
<br />I think the concept is good. If it'sat any rate, I still think it's something that requires
<br />legislative action. All I can say at this point in time is that please understand the amount of draw
<br />that this project will take. It's like infinitesimally small. But, I would, you know, kind of
<br />recommend and probably be next to your side if in talking with the necessary legislators to see
<br />like please consider that.
<br />REPLOGLE: Thank you, and I realize it's not you or your doing, but it most definitely needs to
<br />be addressed.
<br />CLARKSON: I would also like to point out that I just asked our Corporation Counsel whether
<br />we as a Planning Commission have any authority to impose royalties in protection of the public
<br />trust, and she didn't know without—wait, excuse, me—without further legal research. But, it
<br />kind of surprises me that there has been no Statewide program of requiring royalties for the
<br />extraction of public water for private profit, and it just, I mean, I guess apparently it's up to us.
<br />If not, I don't understand why the Water Commission isn't doing it.
<br />FUKE: You know, like from my small knowledge of like the water resource situation, I know
<br />that the State exercises control over your surface water and how that water is being shared, you
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