HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0279.039 2022-2024 ill to
COMM.274
From: Koohan Paik-Mander
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2023 10:38 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Bill 48 OSCER testimony
Aloha Honorable Members of the Hawaii County Council,
I was delighted to see that this important bill has been introduced. I fully support the passage of this bill.
C..
As we all know, Cory Harden's tireless independent research in all things having to do with protecting Hawaii's
environment are generally spot-on. In her testimony in support of OSCER, she has turned up the following questions and
proposed adjustments, below. I echo her concerns, and also wish to add one question of my own as well as one tweak.
The question is, How will OSCER ensure inclusion of public participation in all proposed initiatives?
The tweak I wish to propose is to ensure somewhere in the Bill that OSCER is committed to always supporting Hawaii's
preeminent law that freshwater resources are the Public Trust and must always be treated with the highest possible
level of protection for future generations. (Of course, this conforms to the Bill's mandate to respect indigenous values.)
Please vote to pass OSCER!
Thank you for this opportunity to testify.
Koohan Paik-Mander
(see Cory Harden's comments below)
There is much to recommend OSCER. But there are also important questions:
What are examples of actions OSCER would take?
Would funding go to community organizations with good track records, or government agencies?
How much funding is anticipated from OSCER cost savings?
How will common County problems be avoided:
Administration sometimes says it can't act due to no funding and no staff
Procurement is difficult
Coordination with other agencies is difficult
Is it correct that followup bills are planned for targets,approach, success metrics, and accountability protocol?
How will conflicts be handled--with Resolution 73 (Yummet waste-to-energy) and Resolution 163 (hydrogen)?
Minor changes may also be needed:
37-1-2 Declaration of policy p. 2
Add "reduce greenhouse gas emissions"
37-1-3 Definitions p. 2
Change "severabilty"to "survivability"
37-2-21 Duties...
p. 3 (a) (1) add "reduce greenhouse gas emissions"
(a) (2) add "greenhouse gas reduction" Comm. N�
Ref. To:
1 Ref. Date 11,4 1 6 2023
p. 4 (e)Grants and funding
Add "programs and contracts with the State government"
2