HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0042.052 2004-2006 HA111AKUA COUNTYFARMBUREAU
P. O. BOX 1380
HONOKAA, HI96727
Testimony to the Committee on Planning, Hawaii County Council,
January 4, 2005.
My name is Robert Shioji representing the Hamakua County Farm
Bureau. I'm here today to inform the Committee of our position on
the proposed County General Plans.
We have reviewed the three draft proposals of the General Plan and
concluded that Draft I is the document that best represents the
Farm Bureau's mission -the identification and protection of our
important agricultural lands (IAL). For the District of Hamakua,
which is still relatively untouched by modern carpet baggers, the
fear that what is now happening along the South Hilo Coast on
prime ag lands owned by C. Brewer will eventually spread North.
The people of Hamakua want productive farmers and ranchers to
occupy our best ag lands, not gentlemen estates for the very rich.
Draft II does nothing to protect the Big Island's best ag lands.
Citing the 1978 State Constitutional mandate that the Legislature
shall develop standards and criteria for the identification, mapping
and protection of Important Agricultural Lands (IAL), the authors
of Draft II has deleted all references to IAL stating that IAL is the
State's responsibility, not the County's. One can only assume then
that the former Planning Committee and its staff were all too willing
to sacrifice Home Rule for the sake of producing a "user friendly"
document.
Draft III is a compromise or sorts regarding IAL. Although it
maintains that IAL is the State's kuleana, it offers to "support the
State in its constitutional obligation to identify and protect IAL."
The document also proposes to change the terminology Important
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Ag Lands to Intensive Agricultural Lands, which we believe means
the same thing. The Farm Bureau's only concern is the possibility of
confusion if and when the State decides to fulfill its constitutional
obligation of identifying IAL Statewide. Would the State use IAL
(Important Ag Lands) or IAL (Intensive Ag Lands) for Hawaii
County?
The maps of IAL in Draft I includes most of the productive ag lands
in Hamakua that were in sugar, macadamia nuts, and small
ranches. With the Lower Hamakua Ditch soon to become
operational after more than two years of major repairs, much of the
land designated as IAL in Draft I will have the potential of
becoming productive again, not in sugar, but in a wide variety of
high value agricultural activities and projects. A reliable source of
water offers endless opportunities to Hamakuans for farming,
intensive grazing, aquaculture and other ventures. This can only
happen if the Council sees fit to protect one of our island's most
precious resources, our Important Agricultural Land.
In conclusion, we wish to thank former Planning Committee
Chairman, Leningrad Elarinoff, for his effort in trying to produce a
workable County General Plan that is acceptable to the general
public. At least he took the initiative to do something after seeing the
Administration's proposed Draft I languish in the Council's
Planning committee for nearly two years.
We ask that the Committee favorably consider Draft I of the
proposed County General Plan for adoption by the County Council.
Mahalo,
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Robert Shioji
Hamakua County Farm Bureau