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REPORT OF THE <br />COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, WATER, <br />ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT <br />DATE: March 10, 2020 <br />PLACE: Council Chambers <br />Hilo, Hawaii <br />TIME: 1:03 p.m. <br />Council Chair and Members <br />Hawaii County Council <br />Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br />Re: Comm. 768/Bill No. 142 <br />Your Committee on Agriculture, Water, Energy, and Environmental Management (AWEEM), to <br />which was referred Bill No. 142, reports as follows: <br />Bill No. 142, transmitted by Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder dated February 6, 2020 <br />proposes an amendment to Chapter 2, Article 8, Section 2-37 of the Hawaii County Code 1983 <br />(2016 Edition, as amended); relating to the Department of Research and Development's (R&D) <br />Sustainability Action Committee (SAC) by including the words "climate change" and <br />"environmental science" to the description of the SAC. <br />A motion to move Bill 142 to Council with a positive recommendation was made by Council <br />Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, second by Council Member David. R&D Director Diane Ley and <br />Deputy Riley Saito shared the history of the SAC and how subcommittees were derived from the <br />SAC mission, particularly -the Energy Advisory Commission and the Agriculture Advisory <br />Commission, which provided groundwork on an energy plan and stood up the County of Hawaii <br />(COH) Agriculture Development Plan. Many short-term projects were accomplished by those <br />plans, including long term partnerships with Green Growth, Aloha Plus Challenge, GLISPA, <br />with lists of larger projects and initiatives identified and focused, including greenhouse gas <br />emissions. The administration is committed to working through this process and continue its <br />efforts towards sustainability for the COH, however R&D is not in a position budgetarily nor <br />staff -wise to stand up and provide support for a SAC at this time. Council Members echoed the <br />fact that a SAC is needed, and that the Mayor needs to make the decision to enact it or not. It <br />was agreed upon that if SAC was housed elsewhere, for example, Mayor's Office, it would be <br />counterproductive cost -wise. Continued discussion anticipated at the Council level. <br />AWEEMC Report No.: 15 <br />