2019-02-04 Letter to Lorraine Inouye re SB 656 - Taxation - Helicopter servicing and repair

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Sen. L. Inouye Page 2 — February 4, 2019 SB 656 — Helicopters/Taxation In addition, I don't think it would be unfair to say that tax giveaways should be reserved for good corporate citizens. I have met with tour operators and asked them to develop a plan to address noise and safety. They have taken some initial steps, and I commend them for that. Moreover, I am hopeful that tour operators and community members can work together. However, the history laid out in SCR 183 (2018) is eye-opening: "in 2000, the National Environmental Policy Act, in conjunction with the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000, required an Air Tour Management Plan to be implemented at various national parks throughout the country... The objective of an Air Tour Management Plan is "to develop acceptable and effective measures to mitigate or prevent the significant adverse impacts, if any, of commercial air tour operations upon the natural and cultural resources, visitor experiences and tribal lands ... In 2005, the project was upgraded to an Environmental Impact Statement, and the Federal Aviation Administration published a notice of opportunity for commercial air tour operators granted interim operating authority to review and self -correct annual authorizations. In 2008, Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service staff met with Hawai'i air tour operators, and acoustic monitoring of three sites at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was conducted. In 2011, a preliminary draft Air Tour Management Plan for Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was published, but... seven years later, in 2018, there [was] still no final Air Tour Management Plan for Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park... In addition, after more than sixteen years, no Air Tour Management Plan for any national park in the nation has been completed..." How can our residents be asked to tolerate the status quo when it has been 15 years since the Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Service asked for comments on an Air Tour Management Plan Environmental Assessment, and eight years since a preliminary draft Air Tour Management Plan for Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park was published. That is an outrage. I would urge a No vote on SB 656, at least until the helicopter industry proves itself to be a better neighbor, it is established that "quiet technology" actually makes a difference, and this Legislature determines that the benefits to the broader community of this tax giveaway outweigh the benefits to the helicopter industry. Harry Kim Mayor Countv of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and employer