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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0372.079 2024-2026E ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL uSTAT11 DEPARTMENTOF BUSINESS, ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT&TOURISM, OFFICEOFPLANNING& Phan.: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, STATEOFHAWAA (808)586-4185 Email: 235SOUTH BEREMNIA STREET, SUITE 702, HONOLULU, HI 96813 dbedr.opad.erp@hawall.gov Governor Josh B. Green, M.D. August 13, 2025 o c7i Hawaii County Council CoC3 Sylvia Luke Sylvia Luke Hawaii County Building C —I OPSO Director 25 Aupuni Street Mary Alice Evans Hilo, Hawaii 96720 - C:) r,c-�; Chairperson Email: counciltestimonv(cDhawaiicountv.aov a =- __F— Dawn Hegger-Nordblom q9 Vice Chair Dear Hawaii County Council, UJ � Jay Stone v Members Re: Communication 326 Review of the Draft General Plan 2045 by the Michele Lefebvre Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use & Economic Development Rachel Sprague The Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) of the State of Hawaii serves as a liaison between the State of Hawaii, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (OPSD) Director and the General Public, focusing on ecology and environmental quality. The EAC monitors the progress of state, county, and federal agencies in achieving Hawaii's environmental goals and policies, and publishes its findings in annual reports. A critical goal of the EAC is to track the State's progress in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The legal basis for this is the policy framework established by Act 234 of 2007, which focuses on addressing greenhouse gas emission; the Hawai'i Climate Adaptation Initiative Act 83 of 2014, which prioritizes addressing sea -level rise and other impacts; and the State's Ocean Resources Management Plan (ORMP), which emphasizes the interweaving of county, State, and (formerly) federal laws, policies, programs and agency stakeholders. All county planning departments play a role in integrating climate resilience into local development and land use planning. In addition, Act 178 of 2021 directs state agencies to collaborate on identifying and assessing vulnerabilities of state facilities to sea -level rise, flooding, and other natural hazards. The EAC views the question of whether humans are inducing climate change involving increased, greenhouse gases, warming of the atmosphere and oceans, and sea level rise as settled science, even if the magnitude, timing and breadth of impacts still demand research. The EAC commends the Hawai'i County Planning Department for the climate change discussion and the adaptation objectives, policies and actions contained in Chapter 3 of Draft 2 of the County of Hawaii General Phan 2 45. Comm. tIq�j klef. To: e Ref. Dat�QU 2 0 2025 Table 13 is a sound foundation for addressing the various types of climate change challenges. It is important for County decision -makers to bear in mind the breadth of the problems that climate change will produce. Although all listed objectives, policies and actions seem worthy of adoption, we would like to point out the importance of this element of the general plan by highlighting just a small sample: • Policy 6.6 Support communities to become fire -adapted as they prepare for climate change. • Policy 6.7 Expand urban forestry benefits to disadvantaged communities. • Policy 6.9 Integrate Native Hawaiian knowledge and practices in planning for the impacts of • climate change. • Objective 7 Reduce the County government's carbon footprint to net zero emissions by 2045 through achieving a 100 percent renewable -powered County fleet by 2035, and supporting the statewide effort to achieve 100 percent renewable ground transportation and 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. • Action 7e Prioritize urban tree inventories for primary urban areas such as Downtown Hilo, Waimea, and Kailua-Kona. • Policy 8.1 Use accurate and up-to-date, peer -reviewed scientific predictions and observations related to climate change impacts to guide adaptation policy and land use decisions. • Policy 8.10 Partner with communities to develop adaptation strategies (e.g., protection, accommodation, managed retreat, and preservation) for vulnerable areas including conducting vulnerability assessments and assessing land use and land availability. • Policy 8.11 Partner with government (e.g., State Office of Planning and Sustainable Development [OPSD]), private and nonprofit agencies, communities, and other stakeholders to analyze conservation buffers to accommodate shifting native habitats impacted by climate change, particularly wetlands and high -elevation forests. • Action 8e Collaborate with government, private and nonprofit agencies, communities, and other stakeholders to implement environmentally beneficial upgrades for wastewater, irrigation, and/or landscaping, including sea level rise, storm, and other climate change considerations. The Environmental Advisory Council understand that there may be an effort to "streamline" the current draft to reduce its bulk and make it more implementable. This is of course an important consideration, but we urge the County to retain the excellent set of objectives, policies and actions developed during the last five years of consultation. The General Plan 2045 will set a critical framework for adapting to what all scientists believe will be a significant challenge to life as we know it for the next 50 years, in Hawai'i Nei and around the world. CC: t Council Member Heather Kimball: heather. kimball(c)hawaiicounty.aov a $ Mayor Kimo C. Almeda: Kimo.Alamedae.Hawaiicountv.gov Page 2of2