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HA111AKUA COUNTYFARMBUREAU <br /> P. O. BOX 1380 <br /> HONOKAA, HI96727 <br /> Testimony to the Committee on Planning, Hawaii County Council, <br /> January 4, 2005. <br /> My name is Robert Shioji representing the Hamakua County Farm <br /> Bureau. I'm here today to inform the Committee of our position on <br /> the proposed County General Plans. <br /> We have reviewed the three draft proposals of the General Plan and <br /> concluded that Draft I is the document that best represents the <br /> Farm Bureau's mission -the identification and protection of our <br /> important agricultural lands (IAL). For the District of Hamakua, <br /> which is still relatively untouched by modern carpet baggers, the <br /> fear that what is now happening along the South Hilo Coast on <br /> prime ag lands owned by C. Brewer will eventually spread North. <br /> The people of Hamakua want productive farmers and ranchers to <br /> occupy our best ag lands, not gentlemen estates for the very rich. <br /> Draft II does nothing to protect the Big Island's best ag lands. <br /> Citing the 1978 State Constitutional mandate that the Legislature <br /> shall develop standards and criteria for the identification, mapping <br /> and protection of Important Agricultural Lands (IAL), the authors <br /> of Draft II has deleted all references to IAL stating that IAL is the <br /> State's responsibility, not the County's. One can only assume then <br /> that the former Planning Committee and its staff were all too willing <br /> to sacrifice Home Rule for the sake of producing a "user friendly" <br /> document. <br /> Draft III is a compromise or sorts regarding IAL. Although it <br /> maintains that IAL is the State's kuleana, it offers to "support the <br /> State in its constitutional obligation to identify and protect IAL." <br /> <br /> The document also proposes to change the terminology Important <br /> Comm. No. c/2',$2. <br /> Ref. To:Pte~ <br /> Ref. Uate .IAN <br /> <br />